Which term best describes a compound sentence?

A compound sentence is best described as one that joins two or more independent clauses. This means it consists of at least two complete thoughts that are connected by coordinating conjunctions such as "and," "but," or "or." Each independent clause in a compound sentence can stand alone as a complete sentence, indicating that they are related but also complete ideas in their own right.

In contrast, the other descriptions refer to different sentence structures. A sentence with one independent clause describes a simple sentence. A sentence that includes a dependent clause and an independent clause describes a complex sentence. Finally, a sentence that expresses a complete thought can refer to any sentence type, not specifically a compound sentence. Therefore, focusing on the structure of combining independent clauses clarifies why option B is the appropriate choice.