In ancient Greece, an Epicurean was a follower of Epicurus, a philosopher whose beliefs revolved around the pursuit of pleasure.

Question

In ancient Greece, an Epicurean was a follower of Epicurus, a philosopher whose beliefs revolved around the pursuit of pleasure. Epicurus defined pleasure as “the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the blank that all life’s virtues derived from this absence.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Accepted Answer

Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a participial phrase. This choice correctly uses a comma to mark the boundary between the main clause (&ldquo;Epicurus...&lsquo;soul&rsquo;&rdquo;) and the participial phrase (&ldquo;positing...absence&rdquo;) that provides additional information about how Epicurus defined pleasure. Choice B is incorrect because a colon can&rsquo;t be used in this way to join a main clause and a participial phrase. Choice C is incorrect because a semicolon can&rsquo;t be used in this way to join a main clause and a participial phrase. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with &ldquo;positing.&rdquo;

Question in-anc