The following passage is about the development of a mathematical theorem. Which punctuation mark must be inserted into the blank to ensure that the nonessential element in the sentence is punctuated correctly?
Answer:Although her contributions were initially undervalued by contemporaries due to institutional gender bias, her formulation—which posits that every differentiable symmetry of a physical system corresponds to a specific conservation law【—】fundamentally reshaped the theoretical framework of modern physics.
Answer
The correct punctuation mark is an em dash (—).
The correct punctuation mark is an em dash (—). The sentence contains a nonessential relative clause ('which posits that every differentiable symmetry of a physical system corresponds to a specific conservation law') that modifies the noun 'formulation'. This nonessential clause is opened with an em dash, so it must be closed with an em dash to maintain punctuation symmetry before continuing to the main verb 'fundamentally'.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Punctuation of Nonessential Elements