I liked Jim's explanation that 'because' is sandwitched between 'this is' and the clause, so comma splice is left intact.

Somewhere saw that the below statement is wrong, for unexplained rules. Can someone shed some light please?

"Because studies have shown that X is 60 percent Y, this finding has shocked most observers."

Because + comma + this - is said to be the problem..

Thanks.

GmatKiss wrote:Tough one indeed, i chose E!
Not able to compromise with B

have you read the explanations provided by Ron? Trust me, they are very useful and will help you find the correct answer. Scroll few posts up!

B!!

B wins. 2 independent clauses, hence semi colon required. E is wordy.

After the semicolon 'the reason is/because' both are redundant.

(B) is concise and the because/for/the reason is--all are understood

Is C clear, tumors is plural so doesn't are is required


Regards

I'm going with B. It is more concise, and the sentence works without "the reasion is that", which also sounds a little bit awkward.

After ';' you should have a complete sentence. Only 'B' has this structure !

So, Answer is B

As per my understanding B is the correct option

OA IS B

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) CORRECT. The semicolon correctly connects two independent clauses. Also, the singular verb "is" agrees in number with the singular subject "relationship."

(C) The plural verb "are" does not agree in number with the singular subject "relationship."

(D) While "is" agrees in number with the singular subject "relationship," the colon is used incorrectly in this choice. Colons must be preceded by independent clauses. Independent clauses contain a subject and a verb and can stand alone as independent sentences. In this case, however, the colon is preceded by "The relationship...is still unclear because," which is not a clause that can stand alone as an independent sentence.

(E) While the semicolon correctly connects two independent clauses, and while "is" agrees in number with the singular subject "relationship," "the reason is that" is unnecessarily wordy. The more concise version in answer choice (B) is preferred.

I chose E for this answer.
Can anybody explain why this wordy than B please??

IMO B too, although E sounds right too, but I choose B because it's more concise.

What is the source of this question? The original sentence suggests that the relationship is unclear because of contradicting results. If we choose B, the two parts become independent, which distorts the original meaning.

The relationship between cell phone use and the incidence of brain tumors is still unclear, this is because some studies show a causal relationship while others do not.

is still unclear, this is because some studies show
is still unclear; some studies show
are still unclear because some studies show
is still unclear because: some studies show
is still unclear; the reason is that some studies show

I am Actually surprised how people out here are rejecting E just because of wordiness or being not concise.

There is no hardcore grammar formula required here.

Lets Understand E first

the relationship between cell phone use and the incidence of brain tumors is still unclear; the reason is that some studies show ......

In this option,there is clear issue of cause-Effect

E means that Result of some study is causing the relationship to be unclear - This is not the intended meaning.
The study is just used to emphasis that the relationship is unclear; And not used as a cause of ambiguity in relationship b/w cell phone use and Incidence of tumor

B is correct because the study is used as an affirmative/example to the prior clause that Relationship b/w cell phone use and Incidence of tumor is unclear. Hence It is correct in saying that there is no cause effect. Therefore the intended meaning is rightly conveyed.

Hope the explanation helped.

Cheers,
Akash

Answer: E