Between 322 and 184 BCE, the Maurya Empire established a complex economic system that, through trade and centralized _______ funded...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• Between 322 and 184 BCE,
  • the Maurya Empire
    • established a complex economic system
      • that,
        • through trade and centralized taxation (?),
      • funded major infrastructure projects throughout the Indian subcontinent.
• This included the building of many roads, canals, and hospitals.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start reading from the beginning:

• 'Between 322 and 184 BCE'
  • gives us the time period we're talking about
• 'the Maurya Empire established a complex economic system'
  • tells us the main action - the empire created an economic system

Now the sentence continues with more about this system:

• 'that... funded major infrastructure projects throughout the Indian subcontinent'
  • The word 'that' refers back to the economic system
  • It's telling us what this system did - it funded infrastructure projects

But notice there's something in between 'that' and 'funded':

• 'through trade and centralized taxation'

This is where we have the blank - right after 'taxation.'

Let's look at the choices:

• We're deciding between a colon, comma, dash, or no punctuation

To see what works here, let's understand how this phrase fits into the sentence structure.

What do we notice about the structure?

• The main flow of the clause is: 'that funded major infrastructure projects'
  • This tells us what the economic system did
• The phrase 'through trade and centralized taxation' is interrupting this flow
  • It's explaining HOW the system funded the projects
  • It provides extra detail in the middle of the main thought
• This interrupting phrase opens with a comma: 'that, through trade and centralized taxation...'
• When you open an interrupting phrase with a comma, you need to close it with a matching comma
  • This signals to the reader: "okay, the extra information is done, now we're back to the main point"
  • Pattern: main clause [comma] interrupting phrase [comma] main clause continues

So we need a comma after 'taxation' to close the interruption and let the sentence continue with 'funded major infrastructure projects.'

The answer is Choice B: taxation,

The second sentence then gives us examples:

• 'This included the building of many roads, canals, and hospitals'
  • Shows specific types of infrastructure that were built

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Setting Off Interrupting Phrases with Matching Commas

When you insert a phrase in the middle of a sentence to add extra information, you need to use matching punctuation on both sides to set it off. If you open the interruption with a comma, you must close it with a comma:

Example 1:

• Main sentence: The study showed positive results
• With interruption: The study, conducted over five years, showed positive results
  • Opens with comma after "study"
  • Closes with comma after "years"
  • Main sentence resumes: "showed positive results"

Example 2:

• Main sentence: The athlete who trained daily won the championship
• With interruption: The athlete, who trained daily, won the championship
  • Opens with comma after "athlete"
  • Closes with comma after "daily"
  • Main sentence resumes: "won the championship"

In our question:

• Main clause: "that funded major infrastructure projects"
• Interruption: "through trade and centralized taxation"
• Structure: "that, through trade and centralized taxation, funded major infrastructure projects"
  • Opens with comma after "that"
  • Must close with comma after "taxation"
  • Main clause resumes: "funded major infrastructure projects"

The matching commas create clear boundaries, telling the reader: "Here's some extra detail, and now we're back to the main point."