Bluebook SAT Grammar and Punctuation Flashcards

The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, has captured images of galaxies more than 13 billion light-years ______ these images help astronomers study the early universe. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Answer: away;

Two independent clauses need a semicolon or a comma plus conjunction.

Each of the three researchers ______ responsible for analyzing a different section of the ice core. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Answer: is

"Each" is singular and takes "is."

Novelist Toni Morrison, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in ______ was the first African American woman to win the award. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Answer: 1993,

The nonessential clause beginning with "who" must be closed with a comma.

Chemists have long known that certain metals, including platinum and palladium, speed up reactions without being ______ in the process. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Answer: consumed; they act as catalysts

A semicolon must join two independent clauses; "they act as catalysts" is one.

While studying migratory patterns, ______ Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Answer: the ornithologists tagged more than 200 Arctic terns.

The introductory phrase must modify the ornithologists, who did the studying.

The committee reviewed three proposals for the new community center: a design featuring a rooftop garden, a plan that prioritized a large indoor gym, and ______ Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Answer: a proposal that emphasized low construction costs.

The third item must match the noun-phrase structure of the first two.