Question 141·Hard·Boundaries
The 2020 report was compiled by _____ whose decade-long study of coral bleaching has informed global conservation policies.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and boundary questions, read the sentence with each option and focus on how phrases and clauses are separated. Identify titles and names (which usually stay together without commas) and look for extra, nonessential information (like clauses starting with “who,” “whose,” or “which”) that should be set off with commas. Use the “removal test”: if commas make a word or phrase parenthetical, you should be able to remove that part and still have a clear, grammatical sentence. Eliminate any option that introduces unnecessary or unbalanced commas.
Hints
Look at the clause starting with “whose”
Identify what the phrase “whose decade-long study of coral bleaching has informed global conservation policies” is describing, and think about whether that information is essential or extra.
Think about commas with extra information
If a clause starting with a word like “whose” is extra (nonessential) information, ask yourself where a comma would logically go to separate that extra information from the rest of the sentence.
Check the job title and the name
Consider whether “marine ecologist” and “Dana Rodriguez” should be treated as one unit or separated by commas. Read the phrase aloud both ways and decide which sounds like a normal way to introduce a person’s profession and name.
Use the “removal” test for commas
For any choice that puts commas around the name, try removing the name and its commas. Does the remaining sentence still work grammatically and make sense?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the structure around the blank
Focus on the phrase: compiled by _____ whose decade-long study ...
The blank must contain the professional title plus the name and any needed commas to connect “marine ecologist” with “whose decade-long study …” correctly.
Decide how to treat the “whose” clause
The phrase “whose decade-long study of coral bleaching has informed global conservation policies” gives extra information about the person; it is a nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause.
Nonessential clauses that start with words like “who,” “whose,” “which” are usually set off with a comma right before them. So we expect a comma before “whose.”
Check the relationship between the title and the name
“Marine ecologist Dana Rodriguez” is a single noun phrase: a job title followed by a specific name.
In Standard English, you do not place a comma between a title and a name when both are needed to identify the person (for example: “the poet Maya Angelou,” not “the poet, Maya Angelou,” in this context).
So the title “marine ecologist” and the name “Dana Rodriguez” should not be separated by a comma.
Test the answer choices against the rules
Apply the two rules:
- No comma between “marine ecologist” and “Dana Rodriguez.”
- A comma before the nonessential “whose” clause.
Choices that put a comma before “Dana Rodriguez” break rule 1. A choice that omits the comma before “whose” breaks rule 2.
The only option that keeps “marine ecologist Dana Rodriguez” together and adds a comma after the name (right before “whose”) is marine ecologist Dana Rodriguez, which is therefore the correct answer.