Difficulty: Hard

Average Score: 44%

Which of the following revisions to the passage above most effectively corrects the punctuation error in sentence 2?

Rationale

The student, investigating butterfly migration patterns for the research paper, asked if Ms. Smith knew anything about monarch butterflies.

This revision effectively corrects the punctuation error by adding commas to set off the non-restrictive clause "investigating butterfly migration patterns for the research paper," which provides additional information about the student without altering the main meaning of the sentence.

A (The student investigating butterfly migration patterns for the research paper asked if Ms. Smith knew anything about monarch butterflies.) YOUR ANSWER

This option does not include any punctuation changes and therefore fails to address the error in sentence 2. The sentence remains a run-on, making it less clear for the reader.

B (The student, investigating butterfly migration patterns for the research paper, asked if Ms. Smith knew anything about monarch butterflies.) CORRECT

This is the correct choice as it appropriately uses commas to separate the non-essential information about the student. This enhances clarity and ensures the main clause remains intact and readable.

C (The student investigating butterfly migration patterns for the research paper asked if Ms. Smith knew anything about monarch butterflies.) YOUR ANSWER

Similar to option A, this choice does not correct the punctuation error. It lacks any commas and thus does not clarify the structure of the sentence, which may confuse readers about the relationship between the clauses.

D (The student investigating butterfly migration patterns for the research paper; asked if Ms. Smith knew anything about monarch butterflies.) YOUR ANSWER

This option incorrectly uses a semicolon, which is inappropriate here since it attempts to separate two independent clauses that are not both present. The result is a grammatically incorrect sentence that disrupts the flow of ideas.

Conclusion

The revision that effectively corrects the punctuation error is option B, which adds necessary commas around the non-restrictive clause. Proper punctuation is vital for clarity, allowing readers to easily understand the relationships between the various parts of the sentence. Options A, C, and D either leave the punctuation unchanged or introduce errors, thus failing to enhance the passage's readability.

Related Questions

View all