The answer to your question is D
D. Activating Background knowledge
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Answer: No it is not a run-on sentence</h3>
At a first glance, the long length of the sentence seems to suggest it is a run-on. This is misleading because we basically have one thought being expressed. That thought is "you should try the soup".
The first part "If you have a hankering for a delicious bowl of soup" is the dependent clause which relies on the rest of the sentence (independent clause). The independent clause looks like a run-on all by itself, but it's just in the form of "you should try the soup made of x, y and z" where you replace the letters x,y,z with the ingredients listed. I'm paraphrasing this part of course. Another way you could paraphrase the whole thing is "if you are craving soup, then you should try french onion soup made of various ingredients". I'm sure you can probably get more creative.
The following sentence is a run-on: The Merchant of Venice is an interesting play it is about a young man named Bassanio, who falls in love with wealthy girl, Portia.
It should be re-written the following way:
The Merchant of Venice is an interesting play. It is about a young man named Bassanio, who falls in love with wealthy girl, Portia.
The sentence is two sentences fused together as one, which makes it a run-on and also difficult to read. When the proper punctuation is used the sentence is no longer a run-on and is then easier to comprehend.
