Boundaries sample question 1

, a lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils,

SAT · Reading and Writing · Standard English Conventions

Boundaries

Boundaries is part of Standard English Conventions in the SAT Reading and Writing section. The questions below are written in the style of the real test, each with the answer and a worked explanation.

Question types you will see here include comma splice repair, semicolon between independent clauses, colon after a complete clause and commas around a nonessential phrase.

Common traps: comma alone between two independent clauses (comma splice); semicolon followed by a coordinating conjunction; colon after a clause that does not set up an explanation or list.

Sample questions

Question 1
Long thought extinct, the coelacanth was netted off South Africa in 1938.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A.
  , a lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils
- B.
  a lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils,
- C.
  a lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils
- D.
  , a lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils,
Answer: D. , a lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils,
"A lobe-finned fish once known only from fossils" is an appositive that renames the coelacanth and adds extra information, so it needs a comma on each side: (D). (A) leaves out the closing comma, (B) leaves out the opening comma, and (C) uses neither, so the phrase runs into the sentence.
Question 2
By the end of the story, Mrs. Balogun and Mr. Fernandes have quietly settled their quarrel over the overhanging mango Balogun leaves a bowl of ripe fruit on the wall, and Mr. Fernandes sweeps the fallen leaves from both sides.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A.
  tree, Mrs.
- B.
  tree Mrs.
- C.
  tree: Mrs.
- D.
  tree; and Mrs.
Answer: C. tree: Mrs.
A complete clause is followed by details showing how the quarrel was settled, which a colon introduces: (C). (A) creates a comma splice. (B) runs two independent clauses together. (D) puts a semicolon before "and," an unnecessary pairing that also makes the details read as an unrelated addition rather than an explanation.
Question 3
Early critics dismissed the novel as sentimental and kept it in print for more than a century.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A.
  slow; readers
- B.
  slow; and readers
- C.
  slow readers
- D.
  slow, readers
Answer: A. slow; readers
"Early critics dismissed the novel as sentimental and slow" and "readers kept it in print for more than a century" are both independent clauses. Using a semicolon correctly separates them. A comma alone creates a comma splice, no punctuation creates a run-on (fused) sentence, and a semicolon is not normally followed by the conjunction "and" in this construction.
Question 4
The Library of Alexandria, one of the largest libraries of the ancient hundreds of thousands of scrolls.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A.
  world; held
- B.
  world—held
- C.
  world, held
- D.
  world held
Answer: C. world, held
The element "one of the largest libraries of the ancient world" is nonessential information inserted between the subject and the verb. Because it opens with a comma, it must close with the same mark. Omitting the punctuation, using a semicolon, or mixing a comma with a dash is incorrect.
Question 5
Because no one had come back for the gray wool coat in more than a year I allowed myself to wonder about its owner: a retired teacher, perhaps, who had left the city in a hurry.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A.
  year I
- B.
  year, I
- C.
  year; I
- D.
  year: I
Answer: B. year, I
The sentence opens with a dependent clause beginning with "Because," which must be followed by a comma before the main clause starts: "year, I" (B). (A) omits the comma, (C) uses a semicolon, which should join independent clauses, and (D) uses a colon, which needs a complete clause before it.

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