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Difficulty: HardClause Boundaries and Linking

In the late nineteenth century, chemists struggled to isolate elemental fluorine due to its extreme reactivity, which presented unprecedented laboratory challenges. Attempts to extract the element repeatedly ended in failure ______ the highly reactive gas immediately bonded with any surrounding materials, including the glass apparatus used to contain it, often causing dangerous explosions.

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

  1. failure; theAnswer
  2. B
    failure, the
  3. C
    failure the
  4. D
    failure, although

Answer

The option containing the semicolon correctly links the two independent clauses without introducing grammatical errors or incorrect logical transitions.
The correct option uses a semicolon to link the two independent clauses. A semicolon is a standard grammatical method for separating two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structure of the clauses on both sides of the blank.
The clause before the blank ('Attempts to extract the element repeatedly ended in failure') and the clause after the blank ('the highly reactive gas immediately bonded with any surrounding materials...') are both independent clauses.
Determining clause types is necessary to choose the correct punctuation and linking words.
2
Evaluate standard punctuation rules for linking independent clauses.
Two independent clauses can be joined by a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction (such as 'and', 'but', 'for') preceded by a comma.
This rules out options that create comma splices or run-on sentences.
3
Analyze the logical relationship between the two clauses to evaluate conjunctions.
The second clause explains why the attempts ended in failure, indicating a causal relationship. A contrast subordinator is logically incorrect.
This ensures the sentence is both grammatically correct and semantically logical.

Key Concept

Clause Boundaries and Linking
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Clause Boundaries and Linking

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