Question 103·Easy·Boundaries
Afraid of the brewing storm, the hikers decided to descend ______ decision that ultimately kept them safe.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For sentence-boundary questions, first decide whether the text around the blank forms full clauses or just phrases. If the part after the blank is a nonessential appositive referring to the previous clause, set it off with a comma. Eliminate options that create run-ons, fragments, or faulty coordination (e.g., semicolons without two independent clauses or comma + and joining nonparallel structures).
Hints
Identify the main sentence
Cover the words after the blank and read: "Afraid of the brewing storm, the hikers decided to descend ______." Is the main idea complete before the blank?
Check what follows the blank
Look at the words after the blank: "a decision that ultimately kept them safe." Is this a complete sentence on its own, or is it describing the earlier action?
Recall punctuation roles
Semicolons go between two complete sentences; comma + and typically connects parallel structures (often two clauses). What punctuation correctly introduces a nonessential descriptive phrase?
Test each option in the sentence
Plug in each choice and listen for a natural pause and grammatical completeness on both sides.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the structure of the sentence
Read the sentence with the blank:
"Afraid of the brewing storm, the hikers decided to descend ______ decision that ultimately kept them safe."
The main clause is "the hikers decided to descend." What follows the blank is a descriptive noun phrase commenting on that action.
Identify what comes after the blank
The words after the blank are "a decision that ultimately kept them safe." This is a noun phrase (a summative appositive) with a relative clause; it does not form an independent clause by itself.
Apply punctuation rules
A nonessential appositive that comments on the preceding clause should be set off with a comma. A semicolon joins two independent clauses, and comma + and typically connects parallel structures (often two independent clauses). No punctuation would incorrectly run the appositive into the main clause.
Test each option
Substitute each option:
- "early; a" → "...to descend early; a decision..." Semicolon is incorrect because the part after it is not an independent clause.
- "early, and a" → "...to descend early, and a decision..." Comma + and incorrectly joins an independent clause to a noun phrase.
- "early a" → "...to descend early a decision..." No punctuation improperly runs the appositive into the clause.
- "early, a" → "...to descend early, a decision..." The comma correctly introduces the nonessential appositive.
Therefore, the correct answer is "early, a."