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Difficulty: EasyClause Boundaries and Linking

During the Baroque period, Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi achieved widespread renown for her dramatic and emotionally charged depictions of biblical narratives. She frequently utilized a technique known as chiaroscuro, which creates stark contrasts between light and dark ______ deliberate stylistic choice heightened the psychological tension of her compositions and influenced generations of subsequent artists.

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

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

Answer

The semicolon followed by the pronoun 'this'
The correct answer utilizes a semicolon to properly join two independent clauses. A semicolon is grammatically sufficient to connect closely related independent clauses without the need for a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause structures in the sentence.
The text before the blank is an independent clause, and the text starting with the blank's pronoun and ending with 'artists' is also an independent clause.
Determining the grammatical status of the clauses helps establish how they should be linked.
2
Rule out choices that violate standard punctuation conventions for connecting independent clauses.
The choice using a comma alone creates a comma splice, and the choice with no punctuation creates a run-on sentence.
Independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone or by no punctuation at all.
3
Evaluate the remaining options for logic and grammatical correctness.
The choice with a semicolon correctly links the clauses, whereas the choice with the coordinating conjunction 'but' introduces an incorrect relationship of contrast.
A semicolon is a standard method to connect two independent clauses when the relationship is continuous and logical.

Key Concept

Clause Boundaries and Linking
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Clause Boundaries and Linking

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