Question 108·Hard·Boundaries
Because bees are among the most efficient pollinators, many city dwellers have begun keeping rooftop hives for two main _____ greater garden yields and locally produced honey.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries questions, first determine whether the text after the blank is an independent clause or a fragment/list. Use a semicolon only when both sides are complete sentences. Use a colon only after a complete sentence to introduce a list, explanation, or example. Avoid a comma by itself when it would create a splice or when it cannot correctly introduce the structure that follows.
Hints
Decide what the words after the blank are doing
Look at the words after the blank: are they a complete sentence, or are they a list/phrase?
Check what punctuation can introduce a list
Which punctuation mark is used after a complete sentence to introduce a list?
Eliminate choices that require a complete sentence after them
If a punctuation mark usually separates two complete sentences, it won’t work if the second part is just a list.
Step-by-step Explanation
Check whether the clause before the punctuation is complete
Treat the blank as the place where reasons plus punctuation will go. With any choice, the sentence will read: "...have begun keeping rooftop hives for two main reasons_____".
The clause "many city dwellers have begun keeping rooftop hives for two main reasons" is an independent clause (a complete sentence). So punctuation that can follow a complete clause (like a colon) is possible.
Identify what comes after the blank
After the blank, the text is: "greater garden yields and locally produced honey."
This is not a complete sentence; it is a list of two items (two reasons).
Match the punctuation to the structure
A colon can follow an independent clause to introduce a list.
- A semicolon generally separates two complete sentences.
- A comma cannot, by itself, introduce this list after an independent clause.
- A period would end the sentence, but what follows is not a complete sentence.
Choose the option that correctly introduces the list
Because the clause is complete once reasons is included and the text after the blank is a list, the correct choice is reasons:.