Set 14: Boundaries (Advanced)
Explanation
PASSAGE
Not only the students _______ the teachers were impressed by the guest speaker's presentation.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Detailed Answer Explanation
This question tests your understanding of sentence boundaries and punctuation. 'Not only...but also' is a correlative conjunction pair. No comma before 'but also.' To determine the correct answer, examine where complete thoughts begin and end. Look for independent clauses that need proper separation. A period, semicolon, or appropriate conjunction can correctly join or separate these ideas. When analyzing sentence boundaries, pay attention to how ideas flow from one sentence to the next. Correct punctuation ensures clarity and prevents confusion for readers. Review the options carefully to identify which choice creates proper sentence structure.
Key Evidence:
• "not only...but also (correlative)"
Why others are wrong: D (Semicolon is incorrect in correlative construction.), C (Comma is incorrect in 'not only...but also' construction.), B (Colon is incorrect in correlative construction.).
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