Which of the following is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 13 (reproduced below)? But hunters capable of successfully hunting either aggressive animal should prefer buffalo; since one reaps more food from a larger animal.

This option retains the original punctuation, which includes a semicolon. However, a semicolon is inappropriate here as it incorrectly separates two independent clauses without a conjunction. This construction lacks the necessary connection between the preference for buffalo and the reason for that preference, leading to confusion in the sentence's meaning.

Using a comma after "buffalo" fails to establish the necessary grammatical relationship between the two clauses. The comma suggests a pause that does not effectively connect the reason for preferring buffalo with the preceding clause. As a result, the explanation that follows seems disjointed and unclear.

This option removes the necessary punctuation entirely, leading to a run-on sentence. While it maintains the basic meaning, it lacks the clarity that a colon provides, making it harder for readers to immediately understand the rationale behind preferring buffalo over another animal. The absence of punctuation diminishes the effectiveness of the explanation.