Question 171·Hard·Boundaries
The documentary filmmaker María Ortiz focuses on small-town entrepreneurs, many of ______ demonstrate an ingenuity that rivals that of their big-city counterparts.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and boundary questions, first strip away any interrupting phrases to find the core subject–verb structure of the sentence. Decide whether the added phrase is essential or nonessential; nonessential phrases are typically set off with commas, while semicolons only go between two complete sentences. Quickly test each choice by asking: (1) Does this create two full clauses that justify a semicolon? (2) If it’s an interruption, are there commas on both sides? Eliminate options that misuse semicolons or leave interruptions half-punctuated.
Hints
Find the core sentence without the interruption
Try reading the sentence while skipping over the words "she believes." Does the sentence still make grammatical sense without that phrase?
Decide what kind of phrase "she believes" is
Ask yourself: Is "she believes" required to complete the idea, or is it an extra comment about the filmmaker’s opinion?
Recall when to use semicolons vs. commas
Think about whether the words on each side of the blank form complete sentences. Semicolons can only go between two complete sentences, while commas can set off extra, nonessential information inside one sentence.
Check for matching punctuation around the interruption
Once you see that "she believes" is an interruption, look for the option that correctly sets it off within the sentence without breaking it into two clauses incorrectly.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence structure
Read the full sentence with a blank:
"The documentary filmmaker María Ortiz focuses on small-town entrepreneurs, many of ______ demonstrate an ingenuity that rivals that of their big-city counterparts."
The core idea is that María Ortiz focuses on entrepreneurs who demonstrate ingenuity. The words "she believes" are an extra comment about what the filmmaker thinks, not part of the core subject-verb connection.
Identify the role of "she believes"
The phrase "she believes" is an interrupting or nonessential phrase. It adds the filmmaker’s opinion but is not grammatically required for the sentence to make sense.
If you remove "she believes," the sentence should still read smoothly:
"The documentary filmmaker María Ortiz focuses on small-town entrepreneurs, many of whom demonstrate an ingenuity that rivals that of their big-city counterparts."
Recall the punctuation rule for interruptions
Nonessential interruptions in the middle of a clause are usually set off by commas on both sides.
Pattern: main part of clause, + interruption, + rest of clause.
So, we expect punctuation before and after "she believes" to show it is an aside.
Check how semicolons may (and may not) be used
A semicolon is used to join two independent clauses (two complete sentences) that are closely related.
Here, the words around the blank must all stay in one clause:
- "many of whom" is not a complete sentence.
- "demonstrate an ingenuity that rivals that of their big-city counterparts" does not have its own subject if we separate it with a semicolon.
So a semicolon would be incorrect anywhere inside this section of the sentence.
Test each option against these rules
Now apply the rules:
- A) "whom, she believes" → only a comma before the interruption, but none after it. The aside is not properly closed off.
- B) "whom; she believes," → a semicolon after "whom" splits the sentence where there is no complete clause, so the semicolon is incorrect.
- C) "whom, she believes;" → the semicolon after "believes" separates the subject from its verb and again does not join two full sentences.
- D) "whom, she believes," → uses commas before and after the nonessential phrase and keeps everything in one clause.
Therefore, the correct answer is "whom, she believes,".