Question #N402
The author of this article, a historian of American literature, is writing a critical essay on the poet Walt Whitman. The author wishes to emphasize the importance of Whitman's work by noting that it is still read and studied today. Which choice best completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The author of this article, a historian of American literature, is writing a critical essay on the poet Walt Whitman. The author wishes to emphasize the importance of Whitman's work by noting that it is still read and studied today. Which choice best completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?Correct Answer is: C
Choice C is correct because it places the modifying phrase "more than a century and a half after its publication" before the main clause, resulting in the most logical and grammatically complete sentence. Choices A and B are incorrect because they create comma splices—they use a comma to join two main clauses without a coordinating conjunction. Choice D is incorrect because it creates a confusing and illogical sentence. Placing the comma after "readers" indicates that the modifying phrase "after all, more than a century and a half after its publication" modifies the first clause of the sentence, which doesn’t make sense in this context.