The passage below contains a blank indicating a missing punctuation mark. Which punctuation mark should be placed in the blank to correctly set off the nonessential relative clause?
Answer:Discovered in 1799 near the Egyptian town of Rashid, the Rosetta Stone has played a vital role in modern linguistics. The ancient slab, which features three translations of a single decree 【,】 allowed scholars to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. By comparing the Greek text with the hieroglyphic version, researchers finally unlocked the mysteries of an ancient writing system.
Answer
A comma (`,`) must be placed in the blank.
The clause 'which features three translations of a single decree' is a nonessential relative clause that provides descriptive detail about 'the ancient slab.' To set off nonessential elements, matching punctuation marks must be used at the beginning and end of the element. Since a comma is used after 'slab' to open the clause, a matching comma must be placed in the blank to close the clause.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Punctuation of Nonessential Elements