Difficulty: Medium

Average Score: 59%

Which of the following options correctly combines dependent and independent clauses?

Rationale

When the wild horses cross the Lower Salt River, they often travel in a line; the horses are more cautious when they have foals to protect.

This sentence effectively combines dependent and independent clauses, using a semicolon to correctly join two independent clauses while maintaining clear meaning and structure.

A (When the wild horses have foals to protect, they often travel in a line; the horses are more cautious when they cross the Lower Salt River.) YOUR ANSWER

This option incorrectly uses the semicolon to connect clauses that do not share a logical relationship. The first part is dependent, while the second part about crossing the river is independent, making the semicolon inappropriate in this context.

C (They often travel in a line when the wild horses cross the Lower Salt River, the horses are more cautious when they have foals to protect.) YOUR ANSWER

This choice contains a comma splice, improperly linking two independent clauses with just a comma. For correct grammatical structure, a conjunction or a semicolon should be used instead of the comma.

D (They often travel in a line when the wild horses cross the Lower Salt River, and when they have foals to protect, they are more cautious.) YOUR ANSWER

While this option contains valid dependent and independent clauses, it fails to use a semicolon or proper conjunction between the two independent clauses. The structure is more complex than necessary and can lead to confusion in meaning.

Conclusion

Option B stands out as the correctly structured choice, effectively combining dependent and independent clauses while maintaining clarity and coherence. Each of the other options either misuses punctuation or creates unclear relationships between the clauses, which detracts from their grammatical integrity. Understanding how to properly connect clauses is crucial for crafting clear and effective sentences.

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