Question #N841

The poet Maya Angelou’s novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells the story of Angelou’s childhood. In this passage, the author describes Angelou's experience with racism and discrimination in the American South in the 1940s. The poet Angelou’s novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells the story of Angelou's childhood.

Which choice best revises the underlined portion of the passage to make the sentence consistent with the conventions of Standard English?
A. The poet Angelou’s novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells the story of Angelou’s childhood.
B. Maya Angelou’s novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, tells the story of Angelou’s childhood.
C. The poet, Maya Angelou, in her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, tells the story of Angelou’s childhood.
D. Maya Angelou’s novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells the story of Angelou’s childhood.

Correct Answer is: D

The best way to integrate the phrase “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” into the sentence is to place it after the noun it modifies. Since the introductory phrase “Maya Angelou’s novel” modifies the title of the novel, it should appear directly after the introductory phrase. The sentence should also have no unnecessary commas. The correct punctuation of the sentence is: Maya Angelou’s novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings tells the story of Angelou’s childhood.