Read the excerpt. At the beginning of the mission, since our priority was to identify the origin of the alien’s signal. What is the most accurate way to describe the excerpt?

The word “since” introduces the clause “our priority was to identify the origin of the alien’s signal,” making it dependent. The opening phrase “At the beginning of the mission” gives context but does not add an independent clause. Because the excerpt has no complete independent clause, it is best described as a dependent clause.

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