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Question

Difficulty: Very hardClause Boundaries and Linking

In her analysis of the social structures of the early Harappan civilization, archaeologist Leela Sen argues that the absence of monumental royal palaces does not indicate a lack of centralized authority ______ the uniform grid layout of cities like Mohenjo-daro suggests a highly organized administrative system governed by a ruling class of merchants or priests.

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

  1. authority; theAnswer
  2. B
    authority, the
  3. C
    authority the
  4. D
    authority, but the

Answer

authority; the
The correct option correctly uses a semicolon to separate two independent clauses. The first independent clause ends with the word 'authority,' and the second independent clause begins with the word 'the.' A semicolon is an appropriate punctuation mark to link two closely related independent clauses when no coordinating conjunction is present.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structure of the two clauses surrounding the blank.
The first clause ('In her analysis... does not indicate a lack of centralized authority') is an independent clause. The second clause ('the uniform grid layout... suggests a highly organized administrative system...') is also an independent clause.
Determining whether the clauses are independent or dependent is necessary to apply the correct punctuation and linking rules.
2
Evaluate the grammatical validity of the linking options.
Two independent clauses must be separated by a period, a semicolon, a colon, or a comma paired with a coordinating conjunction. Connecting them with only a comma creates a comma splice, and connecting them with no punctuation creates a run-on.
This rules out grammatically incorrect connection structures.
3
Analyze the logical relationship between the two clauses to determine if a coordinator is appropriate.
The first clause asserts that a lack of palaces does not mean a lack of authority. The second clause provides evidence of that authority (the urban grid layout). Thus, the second clause supports the first; a contrasting coordinator like 'but' is logically incorrect.
This ensures the chosen linking method is both grammatically and semantically correct.

Key Concept

Clause Boundaries and Linking
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Topics

Clause Boundaries and Linking

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