Question

which contains an independent clause?

because the tragic fumble was scored by the visiting team in the last minute.
when the player, in an extraordinary move, went charging down the field.
as the uproar from the delirious fans exploded jubilantly through the stadium.
while the team made their play, the frenzied crowd cheered them to victory.

Explanation:

Define independent and dependent clauses

An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought, meaning it can stand alone as a sentence. A dependent (or subordinate) clause also contains a subject and a verb but starts with a subordinating conjunction (such as because, when, as, while), which prevents it from expressing a complete thought on its own.

Analyze the first three options

• "Because the tragic fumble was scored by the visiting team in the last minute."

This is a dependent clause. It begins with the subordinating conjunction Because and does not express a complete thought.

• "When the player, in an extraordinary move, went charging down the field."

This is a dependent clause. It begins with the subordinating conjunction When and leaves the thought unfinished.

• "As the uproar from the delirious fans exploded jubilantly through the stadium."

This is a dependent clause. It begins with the subordinating conjunction As and cannot stand alone.

Analyze the fourth option

• "While the team made their play, the frenzied crowd cheered them to victory."

This sentence contains two clauses:

1. "While the team made their play" is a dependent clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction While.
2. "the frenzied crowd cheered them to victory" is an independent clause. It has a subject ("the frenzied crowd"), a verb ("cheered"), and expresses a complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence.

Therefore, this option contains an independent clause.

Answer:

• (A) Because the tragic fumble was scored by the visiting team in the last minute.
• (B) When the player, in an extraordinary move, went charging down the field.
• (C) As the uproar from the delirious fans exploded jubilantly through the stadium.
• (D) While the team made their play, the frenzied crowd cheered them to victory. (Correct answer)