Question

read this short biography written by a student about an early american poet. then answer the questions that follow.

phillis wheatley was an important figure in colonial america. she was kidnapped from africa, brought to america, and enslaved. she learned to read and write, which was extremely rare for a woman and especially for an enslaved person. her poetry celebrated political figures and was published while she was still enslaved.

decide the effect of revising sentence 2 to \after she was kidnapped from africa, wheatley was brought to america and enslaved.\

decide the effect of revising sentence 3 to \although it was extremely rare for a woman and especially for an enslaved person, wheatley learned to read and write.\

options:
it adds sentence variety to the passage
it emphasizes the sentences second half
both answers are true
neither answer is true

Explanation:

Analyze the original and revised sentences

Using the Sentence Revision knowledge point, we compare the original sentence 3 with its proposed revision.

• Original sentence 3: "She learned to read and write, which was extremely rare for a woman and especially for an enslaved person."
• Revised sentence 3: "Although it was extremely rare for a woman and especially for an enslaved person, Wheatley learned to read and write."

Evaluate sentence variety

Using the Sentence Variety knowledge point
The original sentence is a complex sentence ending with a relative clause. The revised sentence begins with a subordinate adverbial clause ("Although...") and ends with the independent clause. This structural change introduces a different sentence pattern, which adds variety to the paragraph.

Evaluate syntactic emphasis

Using the Syntactic Emphasis knowledge point
The revision places the most important information—that Wheatley learned to read and write—at the very end of the sentence. In English syntax, placing the main independent clause at the end of a sentence (creating a periodic sentence structure) naturally emphasizes that final part. Therefore, it emphasizes the sentence's second half.

Determine the correct option

Since the revision both adds sentence variety to the passage and emphasizes the sentence's second half, both individual statements are correct. Thus, the option "Both answers are true" is the correct choice.

Answer:

• It adds sentence variety to the passage
• It emphasizes the sentence's second half
• Both answers are true (Correct answer)
• Neither answer is true