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Question

Difficulty: MediumColons, Semicolons, and Dashes

To recover the lost writings of ancient scholars on palimpsests—parchment sheets that were scraped clean and reused—modern researchers rely on multispectral _______ this advanced technology captures images of the parchment under different light wavelengths to reveal chemical residues of the original ink.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. imaging; thisAnswer
  2. B
    imaging, this
  3. C
    imaging; which
  4. D
    imaging this

Answer

imaging; this
The correct option correctly uses a semicolon to separate two independent clauses. The clause preceding the blank ('To recover... modern researchers rely on multispectral imaging') and the clause following the blank ('this advanced technology captures...') are both independent, meaning they can each stand alone as complete sentences. A semicolon is a grammatically correct way to join these two clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause boundary and the grammatical nature of the clauses before and after the blank.
The clause before the blank ('To recover the lost writings of ancient scholars on palimpsests—parchment sheets that were scraped clean and reused—modern researchers rely on multispectral imaging') is independent. The clause after the blank ('this advanced technology captures images of the parchment under different light wavelengths to reveal chemical residues of the original ink') is also independent.
Determining whether the clauses are independent or dependent dictates the punctuation required to join them.
2
Select the punctuation that correctly links two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
A semicolon is the correct punctuation mark to join two independent clauses when no coordinating conjunction (like 'and' or 'but') is present.
This conforms to Standard English conventions for linking independent clauses.

Key Concept

Semicolons are used to link two independent clauses that are closely related in thought when no coordinating conjunction is used.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Colons, Semicolons, and Dashes

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