Question the-20

3.1 Boundaries - Semicolon vs period between independent clauses
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The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three pioneers in the field of click chemistry: two-time Nobel laureate Barry Sharpless, who coined the term “click chemistry” in 1998; Carolyn Bertozzi, founder of the Bertozzi Group at blank and Morten Meldal, a professor at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. 

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

A.

Stanford

B.

Stanford,

C.

Stanford:

D.

Stanford;

The 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three pioneers in the field of click

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 D is the best answer. This choice correctly uses a semicolon to punctuate a complex list (which is made up of items that have commas in them).

Choice A is incorrect. This is a complex list, indied by the semicolon between "1998" and "Carolyn Bertozzi." What comes after the blank is a separate list item, so punctuation is needed after "Stanford." Choice B is incorrect. This is a complex list, indied by the semicolon between "1998" and "Carolyn Bertozzi." The items in this list have internal punctuation in the form of commas and must therefore be separated by semicolons to avoid confusion. Choice C is incorrect. This is a complex list, indied by the semicolon between "1998" and "Carolyn Bertozzi." Colons aren’t used to separate items in a list.