Question

read the excerpt.
at the beginning of the mission, since our priority was to identify the origin of the aliens signal.

what is the most accurate way to describe the excerpt?

• it is a complex sentence.
• it is an independent clause.
• it is a dependent clause.
• it is a compound sentence.

Explanation:

Analyze the structure of the excerpt

The excerpt is: "At the beginning of the mission, since our priority was to identify the origin of the alien's signal."

• "At the beginning of the mission" is a prepositional phrase.
• "since our priority was to identify the origin of the alien's signal" is a clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction "since".

Determine the clause type

Because the clause is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "since", it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It is a dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause) that leaves the thought incomplete, making the entire excerpt a sentence fragment.

Match with the given options

• "It is a complex sentence" is incorrect because there is no independent clause to complete the sentence.
• "It is an independent clause" is incorrect because it cannot stand alone as a complete thought.
• "It is a dependent clause" is correct because it is a subordinate clause introduced by "since".
• "It is a compound sentence" is incorrect because it does not contain two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction.

Answer:

• It is a complex sentence.
• It is an independent clause.
• It is a dependent clause. (Correct answer)
• It is a compound sentence.