Question

(1) It was December 7, 1941. (2) The freighter Florentine, 320 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Island of Hilo was lumbering along at about 15 knots when the garbled message came in over the radio. (3) "Attack on Pearl Harbor; this is not a drill!" (4) With the message burned into his mind, First Mate Lovett all but ran up the ladder to the bridge. (5) "pearl Harbor," he choked out, "It's been attacked!" (6) Turning away from the ship's compass, Captain Steele looked at Lovett with narrowed eyes but made no reply. (7) "Should we change course, Skipper?" Lovett blurted. (8) Steele looked back at the ship's compass but still had nothing to say. (9) Lovett was beginning to feel frantic. (10) In measure tone he said, "The message said, This is no drill. Should we still make for Kodiak?" 14. Which sentence is missing a necessary comma after the word in bold?
a. (Sentence 2) The freighter Florentine, 320 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Island of Hilo was lumbering along at about 15 knots when a garbled message came in over the radio.
b. (Sentence 8) Steele looked back at the ship’s compass but still had nothing to say.
c. (Sentence 4) With the message burned into his mind, First Mate Lovett all but ran up the ladder to the bridge.
d. (Sentence 6) Turning away from the ship’s compass, Captain Steele looked at Lovett with narrowed eyes but made no reply.

Answer 1

A) (Sentence 2) The freighter Florentine, 320 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Island of Hilo was lumbering along at about 15 knots when a garbled message came in over the radio.

This is the sentence that has a missing necessary comma. Another comma should have been placed after the word Hilo and before was.

The commas in this sentence enclosed nonessential information.

The freighter Florentine, 320 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Island of Hilo, was lumbering along at about 15 knots when a garbled message came in over the radio.

Nonessential information means that if the said phrase is deleted from the sentence, then the sentence would still convey the same message.

The freighter Florentine was lumbering along at about 15 knots when a garbled message came in over the radio.