Question #N1042
The team was excited to see the first signs of growth, the seedlings’ tiny green leaves pushing out of the soil. After a few weeks, the seedlings had grown tall enough to be transplanted into larger pots, where they could continue to thrive.
Which choice best maintains the sentence structure and consistent verb tense in the passage?
A. tiny green leaves pushing out of the soil; after a few weeks, the seedlings had grown tall enough to be transplanted into larger pots, where they continued to thrive.
B. tiny green leaves pushing out of the soil. After a few weeks, the seedlings had grown tall enough to be transplanted into larger pots where they could continue to thrive.
C. tiny green leaves pushing out of the soil; after a few weeks, the seedlings had grown tall enough to be transplanted into larger pots, where they could continue to thrive.
D. tiny green leaves pushing out of the soil, after a few weeks, the seedlings had grown tall enough to be transplanted into larger pots, where they could continue to thrive.
Correct Answer is: D
Choice D uses a comma to separate the two independent clauses, which maintains consistent sentence structure and verb tense. The other choices incorrectly use semicolons or dashes, which are not appropriate for joining two independent clauses.