Question

3
what is the best way to correct this sentence from the third paragraph?
it had better traction and it also handled better than the earlier boards.
a. it had better traction and, it also handled better than the earlier boards.
b. no changes need to be made.
c. it had better traction and it, also handled better than the earlier boards.
d. it had better traction, and it also handled better than the earlier boards.
skateboarding made its first appearance in the 1950s. california surfers wanted something to \surf\ on when the waves were not very high. in its early years, skateboarding was called \sidewalk surfing.\ who made the first skateboard is a mystery. it is likely that several people came up with the idea at about the same time. the first skateboards had wooden boxes with roller skate wheels on the bottom. the wooden boxes soon changed to wooden boards.
by 1963, the sport was very popular this was shown by the high sales of skateboards. makaha, one of several skateboarding companies, reported selling $10 million in skateboards between 1963 and 1965. companies began holding skateboarding competitions. skateboarder magazine came onto the scene in 1964. soon, however, the popularity of the sport began to change. by 1966, skateboard sales had dropped drastically. skateboarder magazine was no longer being published.
in the early 1970s, a new type of skateboard was developed by a company called cadillac wheels. this skateboard had better traction and it also handled better than the earlier boards. skateboarding’s fame began to rise again. since the 1970s, the sport has evolved and grown steadily in popularity.

Explanation:

The original sentence joins two independent clauses ("It had better traction" and "it also handled better than the earlier boards") with a coordinating conjunction "and". When connecting two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, a comma must be placed before the conjunction. Option D correctly adds this comma, while the other options either use incorrect comma placement or claim no change is needed (which is wrong here).

Answer:

D. It had better traction, and it also handled better than the earlier boards.