After a spate of illnesses as a child, Wilma Rudolph was told she might never walk again. Defying all odds,

Question

After a spate of illnesses as a child, Wilma Rudolph was told she might never walk again. Defying all odds, Rudolph didn’t just walk, she blank the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, she won both the 100- and 200-meter dashes and clinched first place for her team in the 4x100-meter relay, becoming the first US woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.

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

Accepted Answer

Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence (&ldquo;Defying...fast&rdquo;) and another sentence that begins with a supplementary phrase (&ldquo;During...Olympics&rdquo;). Choice A is incorrect. When a dash is present in a sentence (&ldquo;ran-fast&rdquo;), it&rsquo;s not conventional to use another dash (&ldquo;fast-during&rdquo;) to mark the boundary between sentences because it creates a potentially confusing sentence. In this context, a period, semicolon, or colon would be clear and more conventional. Choice B is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The sentences (&ldquo;Defying...fast&rdquo;) and (&ldquo;during...Olympics&rdquo;) are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can&rsquo;t be used in this way to mark the boundary between sentences.

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