SATs Sentence Structure & Punctuation 2

Question 1

Which of the following is a comma splice?

Accepted Answer

I went to the store, I bought milk.

Answer

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined with only a comma and no coordinating conjunction.

Question 2

"The storm was fierce; _______ we stayed inside all day." Which word correctly fills the blank?

Accepted Answer

therefore

Answer

Conjunctive adverbs like 'therefore' can follow a semicolon to connect two independent clauses.

Question 3

In which sentence is the colon used correctly?

Accepted Answer

She brought the following items: apples, oranges, and bananas.

Answer

A colon should follow a complete independent clause before introducing a list or explanation.

Question 4

Which sentence is a run-on?

Accepted Answer

The concert ended late we missed the last bus home.

Answer

A run-on sentence joins two independent clauses without any punctuation or conjunction between them.

Question 5

Which sentence correctly joins two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction?

Accepted Answer

The researcher collected data, but she did not publish her findings.

Answer

A coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) preceded by a comma correctly joins two independent clauses.

SATs (Standard Assessment Test) Practice Test