Question 101·Medium·Boundaries
Early studies concluded that honey was just a simple sugar ______ more recent research has revealed that honey contains antioxidants and antibacterial compounds beneficial to human health.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundary questions, first confirm whether both sides are independent clauses. Then apply the standard patterns: use a semicolon by itself or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction. If the conjunction is present in the options, select the comma + conjunction pattern; avoid semicolon + conjunction, missing commas, or capitalization errors after periods.
Hints
Check each side of the blank
Determine whether the words before and after the blank each form a complete idea with a subject and a verb.
Remember the joining patterns
Two independent clauses can be joined by a semicolon alone or by a comma plus a coordinating conjunction like "but." Since "but" appears in the choices, look for the comma + "but" pattern.
Watch capitalization after a period
If a choice would insert a period, the next word should begin with a capital letter.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify clause structure
Before the blank, the text will complete the phrase "simple sugar solution" and present a full clause: "Early studies concluded that honey was just a simple sugar solution." After the blank is another full clause: "more recent research has revealed that honey contains antioxidants and antibacterial compounds beneficial to human health." Thus, you are linking two independent clauses.
Recall the correct joining patterns
To connect two independent clauses, use either (a) a semicolon by itself or (b) a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (e.g., "and," "but," "or"). Since "but" appears in every option, focus on whether the punctuation used with it conforms to standard conventions.
Test each option
- solution; but: A semicolon is typically used instead of a comma+coordinating conjunction to join independent clauses, so pairing a semicolon directly with "but" is not the standard boundary pattern tested.
- solution. but: A period would start a new sentence, but the next word should be capitalized ("But"), so the lowercase "but" is incorrect.
- solution but: Without punctuation before "but," the two independent clauses run together.
- solution, but: This uses the conventional comma + coordinating conjunction structure to link two independent clauses.
Select the correct choice
Only one option correctly applies Standard English conventions for joining these two independent clauses with the coordinating conjunction "but." Therefore, the correct answer is solution, but.