Question 15

Mario hates sitting on the beach; he always gets a nasty sunburn.

Option B correctly combines the sentences into a compound sentence by using a semicolon to connect two independent clauses that are closely related.

A) Mario hates sitting on the beach: he always gets a nasty sunburn.

This option uses a colon, which is incorrect in this context. A colon typically introduces a list or an explanation, rather than connecting two independent clauses as required for a compound sentence.

B) Mario hates sitting on the beach; he always gets a nasty sunburn.

This option is correct as it properly uses a semicolon to link two related independent clauses. Each part of the sentence could stand alone as a complete sentence, which is a defining characteristic of a compound sentence.

C) Mario hates sitting on the beach, he always gets a nasty sunburn.

This option incorrectly uses a comma to connect two independent clauses, resulting in a comma splice. This grammatical error occurs when two complete sentences are joined only by a comma, which is not acceptable in standard English.

D) Mario hates sitting on the beach and he always gets a nasty sunburn.

While this option does create a compound sentence, it uses a coordinating conjunction ("and") instead of a semicolon. Although it is grammatically correct, it doesn't demonstrate the correct structure for a compound sentence as intended in the question.

Conclusion

Option B is the only choice that correctly combines the sentences into a compound sentence by using a semicolon to connect two independent clauses. The other options either misuse punctuation or do not demonstrate the necessary structure for a compound sentence, making them incorrect. Thus, Option B stands out as the definitive correct answer.