7. Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence 6 (reproduced below)? More recent discoveries of sauropod fossils in locations around the world have confirmed that these resilient animals, did indeed walk the earth for millions of years.
Answer: D
More recent discoveries of sauropod fossils in locations around the world have confirmed that these resilient animals did indeed walk the Earth for millions of years.
The best version of the underlined portion is "that these resilient animals," as it correctly maintains the flow of the sentence without unnecessary punctuation.
A) (as it is now)
This option includes a comma before "did indeed," which creates an unnecessary pause in the sentence. The placement of the comma disrupts the intended clarity and flow of the statement, making it less grammatically correct.
B) that, these resilient animals
This option incorrectly adds a comma after "that," which is not appropriate in this context. It disrupts the grammatical structure of the sentence and creates confusion, leading to a misinterpretation of the relationship between the clauses.
C) that these resilient animals.
While this option removes the comma, it incorrectly ends the phrase with a period. This punctuation error suggests the end of a complete statement, which would fragment the sentence and fail to convey the intended meaning.
D) that these resilient animals
This option is the most appropriate as it maintains the sentence's integrity and flow. It avoids unnecessary punctuation, creating a clear and concise statement that effectively communicates the idea.
Conclusion
Option D is definitively the correct choice because it preserves the grammatical structure and clarity of the sentence. All other options either introduce unnecessary punctuation or disrupt the flow, ultimately leading to confusion in the sentence's meaning.