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Difficulty: EasySubordination and Coordination

Although the Apollo 11 mission is most famous for landing the first humans on the Moon, it also conducted important scientific experiments; which provided invaluable data about the lunar environment.

Which choice best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    experiments; which
  2. experiments, whichAnswer
  3. C
    experiments, they
  4. D
    experiments. Which

Answer

experiments, which
The correct choice uses a comma before the relative pronoun 'which' to properly attach the non-restrictive relative clause to the main clause of the sentence. This maintains correct grammatical subordination without introducing fragments or comma splices.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence.
The clause 'Although the Apollo 11 mission is most famous for landing the first humans on the Moon' is a dependent introductory clause. The clause 'it also conducted important scientific experiments' is the main independent clause. The final part, 'provided invaluable data about the lunar environment', describes the experiments and is introduced by a relative pronoun.
Understanding clause boundaries helps determine the correct punctuation and conjunctions needed.
2
Evaluate the punctuation and coordination/subordination between the independent clause and the relative clause.
A relative clause beginning with 'which' is dependent and should be connected to the main clause with a comma, not separated by a semicolon or period. Separating it with a semicolon or period creates a fragment, while replacing it with 'they' without a coordinating conjunction creates a comma splice.
Identifying the correct punctuation avoids fragments and comma splices.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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