The blue whale, although often depicted in cartoons as a friendly giant, _______ is actually a solitary creature that travels vast distances alone.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
it
it,
it;
DELETE the underlined portion
Correct Answer: D
Choice D is the best answer. The sentence already has a subject ("The blue whale"). The phrase "although often depicted..." is a parenthetical element modifying the subject. No pronoun is needed after the parenthetical element; the sentence should flow directly to the verb "is."
Choice A is incorrect because "it" creates a redundancy (double subject) with "The blue whale." Choice B is incorrect for the same reason as A, adding an unnecessary comma. Choice C is incorrect because a semicolon requires an independent clause on both sides, and "it is actually..." would be independent, but the first part would be a fragment.