Our solar system’s planets are vastly different from one another. The inner planets are rocky and small: Mercury is hot, Venus is cloudy, and Earth is _________ Jupiter is a gas giant with a Great Red Spot.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
watery the outer planet
watery. The outer planet
watery: the outer planet
watery, the outer planet
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the best answer. It correctly uses a period to separate the sentence listing the inner planets from the new sentence about the outer planet.
Choice A is incorrect because it creates a run-on sentence. Choice C is incorrect because a colon shouldn't separate unrelated sentences in this manner. Choice D is incorrect because it creates a comma splice.