Question #N786
The history of the United States is full of remarkable stories of people who have overcome difficult challenges to achieve great things. One such story is that of Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and then risked her life to help others escape. Tubman’s courage and determination are an inspiration to us all. She demonstrated that with hard work and dedication, we can overcome any obstacle.
Which choice best combines the sentences at the underlined portion to create a grammatically correct and stylistically effective sentence?
A. Tubman’s courage and determination are an inspiration to us all: she demonstrated that with hard work and dedication, we can overcome any obstacle.
B. Tubman’s courage and determination are an inspiration to us all; she demonstrated that with hard work and dedication, we can overcome any obstacle.
C. Tubman’s courage and determination are an inspiration to us all; she demonstrated that with hard work and dedication, we can overcome any obstacle.
D. Tubman’s courage and determination are an inspiration to us all, she demonstrated that with hard work and dedication, we can overcome any obstacle.
Correct Answer is: D
The correct answer is D. It creates a complex sentence with a comma to separate the two independent clauses. This creates a smoother flow of the sentence than a colon, a semicolon, or a dash would.