The Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes’s ______ heavily influenced by the rhythms of jazz and blues, captured the everyday struggles and joys of African American life in the early twentieth century.
4
readingWhich choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A
poetry which
B
poetry was
C
poetry,
D
poetry had been
Correct Answer: C
Choice C is the best answer. The phrase "heavily influenced by the rhythms of jazz and blues" is a nonrestrictive modifier that provides extra information about the poetry. Commas are needed to set off this phrase. The comma after "poetry" (combined with the comma after "blues" in the text) correctly frames the modifier.