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Difficulty: EasyColons, Semicolons, and Dashes

The naturalist John Muir was deeply committed to preserving the wilderness of the American West. In his writings, he argued that nature served a spiritual _______ it was a cathedral that offered people sanctuary from the noise of the industrial world.

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

  1. purpose: itAnswer
  2. B
    purpose, it
  3. C
    purpose; because it
  4. D
    purpose it

Answer

purpose: it
The correct option uses a colon to connect the independent clause introducing the concept of a spiritual purpose with the second clause that explains what that purpose is (likening nature to a cathedral). Under Standard English conventions, a colon is appropriate to introduce an explanation or elaboration when the preceding clause is independent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the grammatical structure of the clauses surrounding the blank.
The clause before the blank ('In his writings... spiritual purpose') is independent. The clause after the blank ('it was a cathedral...') is also independent.
Identifying the independence of clauses helps determine the appropriate punctuation conventions.
2
Analyze the logical relationship between the two clauses.
The second clause directly explains and describes the 'spiritual purpose' mentioned in the first clause.
A colon is used to link an independent clause to another clause that explains, illustrates, or describes the concept in the first clause.

Key Concept

Colons linking independent clauses to explanatory clauses
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Topics

Colons, Semicolons, and Dashes

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