Question 79

D: After discovering that the football was flat, Andy decided to play tennis.

A complex sentence contains an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. In this case, "After discovering that the football was flat" serves as the dependent clause, while "Andy decided to play tennis" is the independent clause.

A) The hawk swooped down to catch its prey.

This sentence is a simple sentence as it contains only one independent clause with no dependent clauses. It expresses a complete thought without any additional information or clauses.

B) Everyone agreed that the wedding was beautiful.

This option is a complex sentence because it contains an independent clause ("Everyone agreed") and a dependent clause ("that the wedding was beautiful"). However, it is not the correct answer since the question specifically asks for a different complex sentence.

C) Samantha came to the party, but she didn't stay long.

This is a compound sentence, consisting of two independent clauses joined by the conjunction "but." It does not contain any dependent clauses, which is a requirement for a complex sentence.

D) After discovering that the football was flat, Andy decided to play tennis.

This sentence is a complex sentence because it includes both a dependent clause ("After discovering that the football was flat") and an independent clause ("Andy decided to play tennis"). This structure illustrates the definition of a complex sentence accurately.

Conclusion

The correct answer, D, demonstrates the structure of a complex sentence by incorporating both a dependent and an independent clause, fulfilling the criteria needed. Options A and C do not qualify as complex sentences, while option B, although it contains a dependent clause, is not the one specified in the question. Thus, D is the definitive choice that aligns with the question's requirements.