The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Expand to view model thoughtschevron_right
Based on the visible text in the image, the question asks to correctly rewrite the sentence “The three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue, are the foundation of the color wheel” using em dashes.
The correct answer is A: “The three primary colors—red, yellow, and blue—are the foundation of the color wheel.”
Here is the explanation:
The original sentence contains an appositive phrase. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames or provides further information about a preceding noun. In this case, the phrase “red, yellow, and blue” is an appositive that renames “The three primary colors.” The goal of the question is to use punctuation to set off this appositive correctly.
While commas are a standard way to set off a nonessential appositive, as seen in the original sentence, long dashes can also be used. The choice between commas, parentheses, and long dashes is stylistic. Commas provide a gentle separation. Parentheses tend to de-emphasize the enclosed information, treating it as a side note. Long dashes, however, create a more significant and emphatic pause, drawing the reader’s attention to the information they set apart.
Option A correctly uses a pair of long dashes to enclose the entire appositive phrase, “red, yellow, and blue.” This effectively separates the clarifying list from the main clause of the sentence (“The three primary colors are the foundation of the color wheel”), which remains grammatically complete on its own. This punctuation choice adds a strong, stylistic emphasis that highlights the specific colors being named.
The other options are incorrect. Option B uses spaced hyphens, which is the wrong type of punctuation. Hyphens are shorter marks used to connect compound words. Option C uses two hyphens, which is a common typewriter convention for a long dash, but Option A, which uses the proper single typographical character, is the more formally correct choice. Option D is grammatically flawed because it incorrectly places the dashes within the list of colors, disrupting the sentence’s structure and logical meaning. Therefore, Option A represents the most accurate and stylistically appropriate use of this punctuation to set off the appositive.
