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Question

Difficulty: EasyDashes

The passage below contains a sentence with a missing punctuation mark. Read the passage and determine the correct punctuation mark needed to complete the sentence. Which punctuation mark must fill the blank to ensure proper punctuation consistency?

Answer:The majestic monarch butterfly—known for its vibrant orange and black wings【-】embarks on a spectacular multi-generational migration across North America.

Answer

A dash (—)
The correct punctuation mark is a dash. The sentence contains a nonessential phrase, 'known for its vibrant orange and black wings', which is introduced by a dash. To maintain grammatical consistency, a matching dash must be used to close the parenthetical phrase before the main verb 'embarks'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structure of the sentence and locate the parenthetical (nonessential) modifier.
The phrase 'known for its vibrant orange and black wings' provides extra description of the butterfly and is nonessential to the main clause.
Identifying the nonessential modifier helps determine which punctuation marks are required to set it off from the rest of the sentence.
2
Check the punctuation mark that introduces the nonessential modifier.
The modifier begins with an em dash (—).
To maintain grammatical consistency, the punctuation mark used to open a nonessential phrase must match the punctuation mark used to close it.
3
Select the correct punctuation mark to close the nonessential modifier.
A matching em dash (—) must fill the blank.
Using another punctuation mark, such as a comma, would create an ungrammatical mismatch.

Key Concept

Dash consistency in setting off nonessential clauses
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Topics

Dashes

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