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Question

Difficulty: MediumClause Boundaries and Linking

For centuries, painters relied on natural ultramarine, a blue pigment made from grinding lapis lazuli, to achieve deep blue hues in their works; because this material was imported from Afghanistan, it was prohibitively expensive. In the early eighteenth century, a chemist accidentally created Prussian ______ new pigment quickly became popular among artists because it was both affordable and chemically stable.

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

  1. A
    blue, but the
  2. B
    blue, the
  3. blue; theAnswer
  4. D
    blue the

Answer

The correct choice is the option that reads 'blue; the', as it properly uses a semicolon to link two independent clauses.
The correct choice is the option that contains 'blue; the'. It correctly uses a semicolon to separate two independent clauses. Since both clauses can stand alone as complete sentences, a semicolon is an appropriate punctuation mark to link them without a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the clauses surrounding the blank.
The text contains two independent clauses: 'In the early eighteenth century, a chemist accidentally created Prussian blue' and 'the new pigment quickly became popular among artists because it was both affordable and chemically stable.'
Identifying that both clauses are independent determines that they must be joined by appropriate punctuation or a coordinating conjunction.
2
Determine the acceptable grammatical methods for linking independent clauses.
Two independent clauses can be joined by a period, a semicolon, or a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction.
This establishes the rules for selecting a grammatically correct option.
3
Evaluate the given choices against the grammatical rules and context.
The option containing 'blue; the' correctly uses a semicolon to link the clauses. The option with a comma splice ('blue, the') and the run-on option ('blue the') violate standard conventions, while the option with 'but' introduces an incorrect contrast relationship.
This selects the correct option and eliminates the incorrect ones.

Key Concept

Linking Independent Clauses
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Clause Boundaries and Linking

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