Question 158·Medium·Boundaries
Harriet Powers's quilts—intricate textiles that depict biblical stories and local _____ now displayed in some of the most prestigious museums in the United States.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundary/punctuation questions, first identify the core independent clause (subject + main verb) by mentally removing interrupting descriptive phrases. Then decide whether the blank should (1) set off a nonessential interrupter (use matching commas/dashes/parentheses), (2) join two complete clauses (semicolon), or (3) introduce an explanation/list (colon).
Hints
Strip the sentence down
Temporarily remove the descriptive part (between the first dash and the blank). What verb do you expect to follow the subject "Harriet Powers's quilts"?
Look at the punctuation already there
There is an em dash before "intricate." The choice you pick should work with that dash to set off the interrupting description as a unit.
Check what each mark requires
Ask whether the words before the blank form a complete sentence. Eliminate any punctuation that can only appear after a complete independent clause.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the core sentence
Ignore the interrupting description and read the core:
"Harriet Powers's quilts … now displayed in some of the most prestigious museums in the United States."
The subject is "Harriet Powers's quilts," and the main verb phrase should be "are now displayed." Whatever fills the blank must let that subject connect correctly to the verb.
Identify the interrupting phrase
The words between the subject and verb are an interrupting description:
"Harriet Powers's quilts—intricate textiles that depict biblical stories and local _____ now displayed …"
That description (ending with "local legends") is nonessential information about "quilts" and is already opened with an em dash before "intricate."
Use matching punctuation for an interrupter
Nonessential interrupting phrases need paired punctuation (two commas, two parentheses, or two dashes). Since the interrupter is opened with an em dash, it should be closed with an em dash as well; Standard English generally avoids mixing a dash on one side with a comma/colon/semicolon on the other.
Test the choices
Try each option in context:
- "legends, are" mixes an opening dash with a closing comma.
- "legends; are" is wrong because a semicolon must follow a complete independent clause.
- "legends: are" is wrong because a colon must follow a complete sentence.
The only option that correctly closes the dash-set interrupter and leads into the main verb is legends—are.