Question 133·Easy·Boundaries
In her 2021 memoir, the chef, reflecting on her early years growing up on a small _____ recounts mornings spent milking goats and evenings perfecting recipes over a wood-burning stove.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries questions, first identify the main clause (subject + main verb). Then check whether the words around the blank form an interrupting, nonessential phrase. If the sentence has an interruption, you generally need matching commas to open and close it before returning to the main clause.
Hints
Locate the main subject and verb
Find the main subject and the main verb of the sentence. Anything interrupting them often needs commas around it.
Check whether the middle information is extra
Ask: Could you remove the words between commas and still have a complete sentence? If yes, that middle part is nonessential and should be enclosed by commas.
Make sure the commas come in pairs
If there’s a comma before an interrupting phrase, you usually need another comma after it to close the interruption before the sentence continues.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the main clause
Identify the core sentence (subject + main verb):
- Subject: “the chef”
- Main verb: “recounts”
So the main clause is “the chef … recounts ….”
Identify the interrupting (nonessential) phrase
The phrase “reflecting on her early years growing up on a small farm” is additional descriptive information about “the chef.” It interrupts the main clause, so it should be set off with a pair of commas:
- “the chef, [nonessential phrase], recounts …”
Choose the option that correctly closes the phrase
A comma is needed after “farm” to close the nonessential phrase before returning to the main clause (“recounts …”).
- “farm,” correctly closes the interrupting phrase.
- The other choices either omit the needed comma or use incorrect punctuation.
Therefore, the correct choice is “farm,”.