Without claiming for the human skeleton a wholly conventional beauty, we may assert that he is certainly not uglier than a bull-dog, whose popularity never wanes, and that he has a vastly more cheerful and ingratiating expression. "Without claiming for the human skeleton a wholly conventional beauty..." What effect does this opening dependent clause have upon the sentence? A) It lets the reader know that the beauty of a skeleton is entirely in the eye of the beholder. B) It maintains that the question of whether or not the skeleton is beautiful is a hotly contested one. C) It clarifies that the writer isn't making a controversial claim concerning the skeleton's appearance. D) It urges the reader not to allow his conventional thoughts concerning skeletons to prejudice his opinion.