Question nigeri

3.1 Boundaries - Semicolon vs period between independent clauses
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Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta’s celebrated literary oeuvre includes The Joys of Motherhood, a novel about the changing roles of women in 1950s blank a television play about the private struggles of a newlywed couple in Nigeria; and Head Above Water, her autobiography.

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

A.

Lagos, A Kind of Marriage,

B.

Lagos; A Kind of Marriage,

C.

Lagos, A Kind of Marriage:

D.

Lagos; A Kind of Marriage

Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta’s celebrated literary oeuvre includes The Joys of Motherhood , a novel about

Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Boundaries — Semicolon vs period between independent clauses. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of items in a complex series (a series including internal punctuation). In this choice, the semicolon after “Lagos” is conventionally used to separate the first item (“The Joys…Lagos”) and the second item (“A Kind…Nigeria”) in the series. Further, the comma after “Marriage” correctly separates the title “A Kind of Marriage” from the supplementary phrase (“a television…Nigeria”) that describes it.

Choice A is incorrect because the comma after “Lagos” doesn’t match the semicolon used later in the series to separate the second item (“A Kind…Nigeria”) from the third item (“and…autobiography”). Choice C is incorrect because the comma after “Lagos” doesn’t match the semicolon used later in the series to separate the second item (“A Kind…Nigeria”) from the third item (“and…autobiography”). Additionally, a colon can’t be used in this way to separate the title “A Kind of Marriage” from the supplementary phrase (“a television…Nigeria”) that describes it. Choice D is incorrect because it fails to use appropriate punctuation to separate the title “A Kind of Marriage” from the supplementary phrase (“a television…Nigeria”) that describes it.