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Question

Difficulty: EasySentence Fragments

The museum curators recently restored a collection of centuries-old silk tapestries. Because the delicate fibers had degraded significantly from exposure to light and humidity.

Which of the following options represents the most grammatically correct revision of the underlined text?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    tapestries; because the delicate fibers had degraded
  3. tapestries, because the delicate fibers had degradedAnswer
  4. D
    tapestries, the delicate fibers had degraded

Answer

The correct revision connects the main clause with the dependent clause using a comma, resolving the fragment without creating a comma splice or semicolon error.
The correct option connects the independent clause describing the curators' restoration with the dependent clause explaining the reason using a comma. The clause starting with the subordinating conjunction 'because' is dependent and cannot stand alone as a separate sentence. Connecting it with a comma creates a single, grammatically complete sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the clauses around the underlined text.
The first clause ('The museum curators recently restored a collection of centuries-old silk tapestries') is independent. The second clause ('Because the delicate fibers had degraded...') is a dependent clause starting with the subordinating conjunction 'Because'.
Identifying clause types helps determine whether a punctuation mark is joining complete thoughts or creating a fragment.
2
Check the original punctuation for grammatical errors.
A period separates the independent clause from the dependent clause, making the second clause a sentence fragment.
A dependent clause cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and must be properly connected to an independent clause.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the correct way to connect the clauses.
Connecting the dependent clause with a comma is correct. Semicolons cannot be used here because the second clause is not independent. Removing 'because' and keeping the comma creates a comma splice.
This process eliminates the option with a semicolon fragment and the option with a comma splice, leaving the grammatically correct choice.

Key Concept

Sentence Fragments
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Sentence Fragments

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