For centuries, artists have extracted bright pigments from insects: cochineal red, in particular, lent vibrant hues to Renaissance paintings. The dye had fallen out of favor by the mid-twentieth ______ sustainable-fashion designers have renewed interest in cochineal for its ecofriendly properties.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For sentence-boundary questions, first test whether the words before and after the blank form complete sentences. If both sides are independent clauses, remember you generally need either a comma plus a FANBOYS conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or a semicolon by itself—never a punctuation setup that leaves a fragment on either side. Then scan the choices, quickly eliminating any that (1) lack the required comma before the conjunction or (2) place punctuation so that one side of it is not a complete clause.
Hints
Check each clause around the blank
Every answer choice completes “mid-twentieth” with “century.” Mentally include that shared word, and then identify the clause ending with “century” and the clause beginning with “sustainable-fashion designers.” Does each clause have a subject and a verb and express a complete thought?
Think about how to connect the two clauses
Once you see that each side is a complete idea, ask: do you need a comma with a coordinating conjunction such as “but,” or can a semicolon correctly separate the clauses?
Focus on the punctuation near “but” and “recently”
Pay attention to what punctuation, if any, appears before “but” and after “recently” in each answer choice. Make sure the punctuation correctly joins the clauses and does not leave a fragment on either side of a semicolon.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the clauses around the blank
Read each side of the blank as if it were its own sentence:
- Left side: "The dye had fallen out of favor by the mid-twentieth century" — this is a complete sentence (subject "The dye," verb "had fallen out").
- Right side: "sustainable-fashion designers have renewed interest in cochineal for its ecofriendly properties" — also a complete sentence (subject "designers," verb "have renewed").
So we are joining two independent clauses.
Recall the rule for joining two independent clauses
To connect two complete sentences in one line, standard choices are:
- A comma + coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), or
- A semicolon.
Here the word that shows contrast is "but", so we are looking for punctuation that correctly pairs with it.
Decide what punctuation is needed with "but"
When a coordinating conjunction like "but" joins two independent clauses, you must place a comma before the conjunction.
So the best answer will put a comma before "but" to join the clauses.
Match the correct pattern to an answer choice
Check each option:
- Any choice that lacks a comma before "but" cannot correctly join the two independent clauses.
- A semicolon placed after "recently" would incorrectly split the sentence after the fragment "but recently".
The only option that correctly places a comma before "but" and does not create a fragment is "century, but recently", which completes the sentence as:
"The dye had fallen out of favor by the mid-twentieth century, but recently sustainable-fashion designers have renewed interest in cochineal for its ecofriendly properties."