17. Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 3? Created by Bill Watterson, an American cartoonist: Calvin and Hobbes ran daily in newspapers across the country from 1985 to 1995.
Answer: B
Created by Bill Watterson, an American cartoonist, Calvin and Hobbes ran daily in newspapers across the country from 1985 to 1995.
The best version of the underlined portion is to replace the colon with a comma, making it flow better as part of the whole sentence. This maintains the intended meaning while ensuring proper grammatical structure.
A) (as it is now)
Keeping the original version with a colon introduces an unnecessary break in the flow of the sentence. The colon implies that a list or explanation will follow, which is not the case here, making this option incorrect.
B) cartoonist,
This option is correct because it uses a comma to smoothly connect the clauses. It allows the reader to understand that the information about Bill Watterson being a cartoonist is supplementary to the main clause and provides a more natural reading experience.
C) cartoonist
Using just "cartoonist" without any punctuation would create a sentence fragment. This option fails to properly connect the clauses and would leave the reader hanging, making it grammatically incorrect.
D) cartoonist;
Using a semicolon would imply a separation that suggests the second clause could stand alone as a complete sentence. However, this is not the case here, as the second clause is directly related to the first. Thus, this option is also incorrect.
Conclusion
Option B is the best choice because it effectively uses a comma to connect two related thoughts, enhancing the clarity and coherence of the sentence. In contrast, options A, C, and D introduce grammatical issues that disrupt the intended flow and meaning of the sentence.