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Difficulty: HardSubordination and Coordination

Which option most effectively coordinates and subordinates the clauses in the passage below to maintain grammatical correctness?

In 1856, teenage chemist William Henry Perkin was attempting to synthesize quinine, a malaria treatment, in his home laboratory. Perkin's experiments did not yield the desired drug, but they resulted in a dark purple residue that became the world's first synthetic dye.

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    drug, they resulted in a dark purple residue, which became
  3. C
    drug. Although they resulted in a dark purple residue that became
  4. D
    drug; resulting in a dark purple residue that became

Answer

NO CHANGE
The correct option is grammatically correct because it uses a comma and the coordinating conjunction 'but' to link two independent clauses ('Perkin's experiments did not yield the desired drug' and 'they resulted in a dark purple residue'). The final clause is then properly subordinated as a dependent relative clause starting with 'that' to modify 'residue'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clause structures in the original sentence.
The clause before the underlined portion ('Perkin's experiments did not yield the desired drug') is an independent clause. The next clause ('they resulted in a dark purple residue') is also an independent clause. The final clause ('became the world's first synthetic dye') is a dependent relative clause modifying 'residue'.
Identifying whether clauses are independent or dependent determines the correct punctuation and conjunctions needed to link them.
2
Determine the correct coordinator for the two main independent clauses.
Since both are independent clauses that present contrasting outcomes, they must be joined either by a semicolon or by a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction (such as 'but'). Using a comma without a conjunction creates a comma splice.
Avoiding run-on sentences and comma splices is essential for proper sentence coordination.
3
Determine the correct subordination for the final modifying clause.
The final clause must be subordinate because it describes the residue. Using a relative pronoun like 'that' or 'which' correctly integrates this information without creating a new independent clause or a fragment.
Proper subordination ensures that modifying information is structurally dependent on the main clause.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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