Why is a conclusion important in an essay?

a. it is the last thing the reader reads.
b. it is the part that uses outside sources.
c. it is where the author states an opinion.
d. it is where the author provides evidence.

What makes the following sentence unclear? i had hoped to finish the race and win a medal, but i didn’t. a) nothing. the sentence contains no errors. b) there is no independent clause so the sentence is incomplete. c) it’s a simple sentence and doesn’t need a comma. d) there are two possible meanings to the sentence.