Bluebook SAT Test Boundaries Punctuation and Grammar 4

Question 1

Which version of the sentence correctly uses punctuation to join two independent clauses while maintaining the most formal and precise relationship between them?

(A) The committee rejected the proposal; however, three members abstained from the vote.
(B) The committee rejected the proposal, however three members abstained from the vote.
(C) The committee rejected the proposal however; three members abstained from the vote.
(D) The committee rejected the proposal, however, three members abstained from the vote.

Accepted Answer

The committee rejected the proposal; however, three members abstained from the vote.

Answer

When a conjunctive adverb like 'however' connects two independent clauses, it must be preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma. Option A correctly places the semicolon before 'however' and a comma after it. Option B creates a comma splice. Option C misplaces the semicolon after 'however' rather than before it. Option D uses two commas around 'however,' which treats it as a parenthetical within a single clause rather than a connector between two independent clauses—making it a comma splice.

Question 2

A student writes: "The novelist's most celebrated works—her trilogy about displacement and identity—has been translated into forty languages."

What is the grammatical error in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The verb 'has' does not agree with the true subject of the sentence.

Answer

The subject of the sentence is 'works' (plural), not 'trilogy'—the em-dash phrase is a parenthetical appositive that can be removed without changing the core sentence. 'Works…has been' is incorrect; it should be 'works…have been.' The em dashes are used correctly to set off non-essential information. The possessive 'novelist's' is fine as written (singular novelist). The conjunction 'and' between the nouns is also correct.

Question 3

In the following sentence, which underlined portion contains an error in boundary punctuation?

"Researchers at the university [(A) confirmed, that] the new compound inhibits bacterial growth; [(B) yet, the] mechanism by which it does so [(C) remains, as of] this writing, [(D) unclear."]

Accepted Answer

confirmed, that

Answer

'Confirmed, that' is incorrect because a comma should not separate a verb from its subordinate clause introduced by 'that.' The word 'that' here introduces a noun clause acting as the direct object of 'confirmed'; no comma belongs before it. 'Yet, the' correctly uses a comma after the conjunctive adverb following the semicolon (though technically 'yet' as a coordinating conjunction would use only a comma—both are defensible here). 'Remains, as of' is acceptable since 'as of this writing' is a parenthetical phrase set off by commas. 'Unclear.' correctly ends the sentence.

Question 4

Which sentence uses a colon correctly according to standard written English conventions?

(A) The three finalists were: a biochemist, a historian, and a poet.
(B) Her argument rested on a single principle: evidence must precede conclusion.
(C) What remained after the audit was: unexplained discrepancies in the ledger.
(D) The director insisted on: rehearsing the scene seventeen additional times.

Accepted Answer

Her argument rested on a single principle: evidence must precede conclusion.

Answer

A colon must be preceded by a grammatically complete independent clause. In option B, 'Her argument rested on a single principle' is a complete clause, and the colon correctly introduces a clarifying restatement. Options A, C, and D all place colons after incomplete clauses—'were,' 'was,' and 'on' are all verbs or prepositions that require their complements to complete the clause. Interrupting them with a colon is a boundary punctuation error.

Question 5

Read the following passage and identify the sentence that contains a fused sentence (run-on) disguised by a relative clause:

(A) The report, which the board had commissioned six months earlier, was finally submitted on the eve of the deadline.
(B) The glaciers are retreating faster than models predicted this trend alarmed climatologists who revised their projections.
(C) Although the amendment passed with a narrow majority, its implementation was delayed pending a constitutional review.
(D) The sculpture, though small in scale, commanded the entire room with its intricate latticed surface.

Accepted Answer

The glaciers are retreating faster than models predicted this trend alarmed climatologists who revised their projections.

Answer

Option B contains a fused sentence: 'The glaciers are retreating faster than models predicted' is one complete independent clause, and 'this trend alarmed climatologists who revised their projections' is another. They are joined with no punctuation or coordinating conjunction—making it a run-on. The trailing relative clause 'who revised their projections' may distract readers from noticing the boundary error earlier in the sentence. Options A, C, and D are all correctly punctuated.

Bluebook SAT Practice Test

Bluebook SAT Practice Test

Bluebook SAT Test Boundaries Punctuation and Grammar 4