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Question

Difficulty: HardSemicolons

In the context of the passage below, which option correctly punctuates the underlined portion to join the clauses?

A few species of jellyfish are capable of reverting their cells back to a polyp state, this process of biological transdifferentiation; however, is extremely rare in nature.

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    state; this process of biological transdifferentiation, however, being
  3. state; this process of biological transdifferentiation, however, isAnswer
  4. D
    state, this process of biological transdifferentiation, however, is

Answer

state; this process of biological transdifferentiation, however, is
The correct option correctly uses a semicolon to join two independent clauses: the first clause about the jellyfish's ability to revert cells and the second clause about the rarity of this process. It also correctly punctuates the conjunctive adverb 'however' with commas to show its parenthetical function within the second clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the two clauses surrounding the underlined portion.
The first clause ('A few species of jellyfish are capable of reverting their cells back to a polyp state') and the second clause ('this process of biological transdifferentiation... is extremely rare in nature') are both independent clauses.
Identifying clause types determines the appropriate punctuation needed to link them.
2
Determine the proper punctuation to join the two independent clauses.
A semicolon is required to connect them since there is no coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) joining them.
Joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a comma splice.
3
Evaluate the placement of the transition word 'however' and its surrounding punctuation.
Because 'however' is used parenthetically inside the second clause, it must be surrounded by commas, and the verb 'is' must remain connected to its subject.
Incorrectly placing a semicolon before 'is' separates the subject from the verb, creating a fragment.

Key Concept

Semicolons
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Topics

Semicolons

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