California Teacher Credentialing Examination (CSET) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Nonrestrictive clauses are the correct choice because they add descriptive information to a sentence but are not essential to its basic meaning. These clauses provide additional context or details that can enhance the understanding of the information presented, yet the sentence remains complete and clear without them. They are typically set off by commas, indicating that the information can be omitted without changing the overall message of the sentence.

For example, in the sentence "The book, which was published last year, has received great reviews," the clause "which was published last year" is nonrestrictive. It gives more information about the book but is not necessary for identifying which book is being referred to; the core meaning, "The book has received great reviews," remains clear without it.

Other types of clauses, such as restrictive clauses, are integral to the meaning of the sentence and do not have commas. Dependent clauses cannot stand alone and need an independent clause to form a complete thought. Independent clauses can stand alone as complete sentences and do not provide the same descriptive function that distinguishes nonrestrictive clauses.