OpenSAT

Question #N177

The company’s new marketing campaign, which was supposed to increase sales, has actually had the opposite effect. The company’s profits have decreased, _and_ its stock price has fallen.

Which of the following correctly combines the two sentences?

A. The company’s new marketing campaign, which was supposed to increase sales, has actually had the opposite effect, its stock price has fallen.

B. The company’s new marketing campaign, which was supposed to increase sales, has actually had the opposite effect; its stock price has fallen.

C. The company’s new marketing campaign, which was supposed to increase sales, has actually had the opposite effect, and its stock price has fallen.

D. The company’s new marketing campaign, which was supposed to increase sales, has actually had the opposite effect, because its stock price has fallen.

Reveal Answer Go Back

Correct Answer is: C

The correct answer is C because it uses the conjunction "and" to join the two independent clauses and a comma to separate them. A comma is used to separate two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction. Choice A is incorrect because a comma isn’t used to separate two independent clauses without a conjunction. Choice B is incorrect because a semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses when the second clause explains, illustrates, or summarizes the first clause, which is not the case in this sentence. Choice D is incorrect because the use of "because" results in a dependent clause, making the sentence a comma splice, which is an error.