Question a-rece

3.1 Boundaries - Parenthetical punctuation: commas, dashes, parentheses
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A recent study tracked the number of bee species present in twenty-seven California apple orchards over a ten-year period. blank found that when wild growth near an orchard was cleared, the number of different bee species visiting the orchard decreased. 

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A.

Entomologist Heather Grab:

B.

Entomologist, Heather Grab,

C.

Entomologist Heather Grab

D.

Entomologist Heather Grab,

A recent study tracked the number of bee species present in twenty-seven California apple orchards over

Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Boundaries — Parenthetical punctuation: commas, dashes, parentheses. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between a name and title and between a subject and a verb. No punctuation is needed between the proper noun “Heather Grab” and “entomologist,” the title that describes Grab. Additionally, no punctuation is needed between the sentence’s subject (“Entomologist Heather Grab”) and the main verb (“found”) that indies what Grab did.

Choice A is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb. Choice B is incorrect because no punctuation is needed. Setting the entomologist’s name off with commas suggests that it could be removed without affecting the coherence of the sentence, which isn’t the case. Choice D is incorrect because no punctuation is needed between the subject and the verb.