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Difficulty: Very hardCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

During the Northern Renaissance, painters revolutionized the medium of panel painting by experimenting with new binders. Artists who adopted oil-based pigments, which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera achieved unprecedented levels of detail and luminosity. This technical shift allowed for the realistic depiction of light and texture that defined the era.

Which of the following options correctly punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. who adopted oil-based pigments, which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera,Answer
  3. C
    , who adopted oil-based pigments, which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera,
  4. D
    who adopted oil-based pigments; which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera,

Answer

The correct choice is the option that correctly leaves the essential clause 'who adopted oil-based pigments' integrated without commas and encloses the nonessential clause 'which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera' with a pair of commas.
The clause 'who adopted oil-based pigments' is restrictive (essential) because it defines which specific artists achieved unprecedented detail and luminosity; therefore, it should not be set off by commas. In contrast, the clause 'which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera' is nonrestrictive (nonessential) because it adds extra descriptive information about the pigments, so it must be enclosed by a pair of commas. The correct option correctly leaves 'who adopted oil-based pigments' integrated into the main sentence while enclosing 'which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera' with commas on both sides.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the sentence containing the underlined portion and identify the relative clauses.
The sentence contains two relative clauses modifying nouns: 'who adopted oil-based pigments' modifying 'Artists', and 'which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera' modifying 'pigments'.
Identifying the relative clauses allows us to determine their syntactic role and necessary punctuation.
2
Determine whether the first relative clause is essential (restrictive) or nonessential (nonrestrictive) to the meaning of the sentence.
The clause 'who adopted oil-based pigments' is essential because it specifies which particular group of artists achieved the unprecedented levels of detail and luminosity. Therefore, it should not be set off by commas.
Essential clauses define the nouns they modify and must not be separated from them by punctuation.
3
Determine whether the second relative clause is essential or nonessential.
The clause 'which dried much slower than traditional egg tempera' is nonessential because it merely adds extra descriptive information about oil-based pigments and does not change the core identity of the pigments. Thus, it must be enclosed within a parenthetical pair of commas.
Nonessential elements must be set off by commas on both sides to show they can be removed without altering the primary meaning of the sentence.
4
Select the option that reflects these punctuation rules.
The option that leaves the first clause integrated without commas and places a closing comma after 'tempera' is correct.
This configuration correctly balances the restrictive and nonrestrictive elements of the sentence.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between essential (restrictive) and nonessential (nonrestrictive) clauses, and applying proper comma punctuation to set off nonessential parenthetical elements.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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