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Difficulty: EasySubordination and Coordination

Every autumn, millions of monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles from North America to central Mexico. They possess tiny brains, they navigate with remarkable precision using the angle of the sun and the Earth's magnetic field.

Which of the following choices represents the most grammatically correct version of the underlined text?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. Although they possess tiny brains, they navigate with remarkable precisionAnswer
  3. C
    Although they possess tiny brains. They navigate with remarkable precision
  4. D
    Although they possess tiny brains; they navigate with remarkable precision

Answer

The option that correctly introduces the subordinating conjunction 'Although' and uses a comma to connect the dependent and independent clauses.
The correct option resolves the comma splice by introducing the subordinating conjunction 'Although' to make the first clause dependent. A dependent clause followed by an independent clause is correctly separated by a comma.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical relationship between the two clauses: 'They possess tiny brains' and 'they navigate with remarkable precision'.
Both clauses are independent thoughts that contrast with each other.
Determining if the clauses are dependent or independent helps identify coordination and subordination errors.
2
Analyze the original sentence structure to check for errors.
The original sentence joins two independent clauses using only a comma, creating a comma splice.
Comma splices are grammatically incorrect and must be resolved by proper coordination or subordination.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that correctly resolves the comma splice by establishing proper subordination.
Adding the subordinating conjunction 'Although' turns the first clause into a dependent clause, which can then be correctly joined to the main independent clause using a comma.
This creates a grammatically correct complex sentence that logically shows the intended contrast.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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