Question

although samuel clemens was a prolific journalist while using his given name, he became one of the most famous fiction writers of all time while using his pen name, mark twain. choose 1 answer:
a no change
b name; he
c name he
d name. he

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze the sentence structure. The original sentence has two independent clauses: "Samuel Clemens was a prolific journalist while using his given name" and "he became one of the most famous fiction writers of all time while using his pen name, Mark Twain." When separating two independent clauses, we can use a period followed by a capitalized subject (since the second clause starts a new sentence) or a semicolon (with the second clause starting with a lowercase letter if using a semicolon, but here the second clause's subject "he" should be capitalized if using a period).

• Option A: The original uses a comma, which is incorrect for separating two independent clauses (a comma splice).
• Option B: A semicolon is used, but the "he" after the semicolon should be lowercase if using a semicolon (since it's part of the same sentence structure with a semicolon), but actually, when using a semicolon, the second clause's first word is lowercase. However, in this case, the two clauses are better separated as two sentences with a period and a capitalized "He".
• Option C: Removing punctuation between "name" and "he" creates a run - on sentence.
• Option D: Using a period to separate the two independent clauses and capitalizing "He" (since it starts a new sentence) is correct.

Answer:

D. name. He