Set 10: Boundaries (Intermediate)
Explanation
PASSAGE
The athletes trained hard; _______ many of them still failed to qualify for the finals.
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. After a semicolon, a conjunctive adverb like 'however' is followed by a comma. 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:
• "semicolon before"
• "comma after conjunctive adverb"
Why others are wrong: D (Comma before 'however' is incorrect; semicolon already there.), A (Colon is incorrect after semicolon.), C (Missing comma after 'however.').
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