The following sentence may need a semicolon to separate independent clauses. Select the answer option that will make the sentence correct. If the original sentence is correct, select No change.
The most important accomplishment in the development of railroads in the United States was the completion of the first transcontinental track. In May 1869, seven years after President Lincoln had signed the Pacific Railway Act, the final spike for the track was hammered into place in Promontory Point, Oregon.
Group of answer choices
Replace the comma after Act with a semicolon.
Replace the comma after 1869 with a semicolon.
No change
Replace the comma after Act with a semicolon.
The most important accomplishment in the development of railroads in the United States was the completion of the first transcontinental track. In May 1869, seven years after President Lincoln had signed the Pacific Railway Act, the final spike for the track was hammered into place in Promontory Point, Oregon.
The correct answer is:
Replace the comma after Act with a semicolon.
To determine if the original sentence needs a semicolon to separate independent clauses, we need to identify the independent clauses within the sentence.
Independent clauses are complete sentences that can stand alone. In this case, we have two independent clauses:
1. "The most important accomplishment in the development of railroads in the United States was the completion of the first transcontinental track."
2. "In May 1869, seven years after President Lincoln had signed the Pacific Railway Act, the final spike for the track was hammered into place in Promontory Point, Oregon."
Now let's evaluate each answer choice:
A) "Replace the comma after Act with a semicolon."
This option suggests inserting a semicolon after "Act". This is incorrect because the phrase "seven years after President Lincoln had signed the Pacific Railway Act" cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
B) "Replace the comma after 1869 with a semicolon."
This option proposes replacing the comma after "1869" with a semicolon. This suggestion is correct because it would effectively separate the two independent clauses.
C) "No change"
This choice states that the original sentence is correct without any modifications. However, the original sentence fails to use appropriate punctuation to separate the two independent clauses.
Hence, the correct answer is:
Replace the comma after 1869 with a semicolon.