Question

Leonardo da Vinci may be described as a polymath, and his subjects of interest included art, architecture, science, maths, astronomy, botany and cartography.
Choose the option that best corrects the underlined words.

• A. polymath;
• B. polymath and
• C. polymath:
• D. NO CHANGE

Answer 1

The correct option is D NO CHANGE

A "polymath" is a person with a wide range of knowledge. The given statement has two independent sentences. Independent sentences have a subject and a verb and can convey a meaning on their own. Here, one sentence describes Leonardo da Vinci as a polymath and the other sentence lists his subjects of interest. These two sentences were joined by the conjunction "and" with a comma before "and." We can use "and" to join two nouns, two independent sentences, etc. Hence, the co-ordinating conjunction "and," which connects two sentences here, has been used correctly.

When two independent sentences are joined by "and," a comma has to be inserted between the two sentences. The given sentence has a comma before "and." So, the punctuation was accurate as well.

So, option D which suggests that no change is necessary is the right answer.

A semi-colon is used to indicate a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a period. This sentence does not require a longer pause than that provided by a comma. Moreover, a semi-colon may be necessary to separate two sentences only if the first sentence has multiple commas. The first sentence here does not have any commas. So, option A which suggests a semi-colon is wrong.

Option B recommends removing the comma from the sentence. However, two independent sentences joined by a co-ordinating conjunction should have a comma before the co-ordinating conjunction. We cannot remove the comma from this sentence. So, option B is incorrect.

Option C shows a colon after "polymath." Using a colon, you can give more information about something that is mentioned right before the colon. This sentence does not detail anything about "polymath." It continues to list Leonardo da Vinci's subjects of interest. Hence, a colon is not required here. Thus, option C is incorrect.