Question 174·Hard·Boundaries
Initially dismissed by critics as a minor 19th-century lyricist, the English poet and ______ Alice Meynell (1847–1922) has since come to be recognized as a pivotal voice in the Aesthetic movement.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and boundaries questions, first strip away introductory phrases to find the core subject and verb, then read the sentence around the underline as smoothly and simply as possible. Identify whether the words around the blank form one continuous unit (like titles plus a name or two parts of a list) or whether a pause/break is logically needed. Remember that colons and dashes usually follow a complete sentence and introduce something, while commas around nouns often signal nonessential (removable) information; if removing the punctuated part would change who or what the sentence is about, you generally should not set it off with commas or other strong punctuation.
Hints
Locate the main subject
Mentally remove the opening phrase 'Initially dismissed by critics as a minor 19th-century lyricist' and focus on the part starting with 'the English poet and ______ Alice Meynell…'. What is the full subject of the sentence?
Recognize the pattern of titles plus a name
Look at 'the English poet and ______ Alice Meynell.' Are the words before 'Alice Meynell' functioning like job titles or roles that describe her? Think of similar phrases like 'the scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla.'
Match punctuation to its job
A colon or dash usually follows a complete sentence and introduces something (a list, explanation, or extra detail). A comma can set off extra, nonessential information. Ask yourself: Is there a complete sentence before the blank, and is 'Alice Meynell' meant to be extra information or an essential part of the subject?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the core structure of the sentence
Strip away the opening phrase 'Initially dismissed by critics as a minor 19th-century lyricist,' to find the main clause:
'the English poet and ______ Alice Meynell (1847–1922) has since come to be recognized as a pivotal voice in the Aesthetic movement.'
The subject of the sentence is everything up to 'Meynell'; the verb is 'has (since) come to be recognized.'
See how the blank fits with the surrounding words
Focus on the subject:
'the English poet and ______ Alice Meynell'
Here, 'poet' and the word in the blank are roles or titles describing the same person, 'Alice Meynell.' This is like saying 'the painter and sculptor Michelangelo' or 'the writer and activist James Baldwin.' In such patterns, the titles and the name form one continuous noun phrase; we do not normally break them up with punctuation.
Decide whether punctuation is appropriate here
Ask: Should there be a strong break (dash or colon) or a separation (comma) between the second title and the name?
- A colon or dash usually comes after a complete sentence (an independent clause) to introduce an explanation, list, or extra information. But 'the English poet and essayist' is not a complete sentence.
- A comma before a name in this position would make 'Alice Meynell' a nonessential (extra) appositive, as in 'my teacher, Mr. Lopez, is kind.' But here, 'poet and essayist Alice Meynell' is giving essential information about which poet and essayist we mean.
Choose the answer that keeps the noun phrase intact
Because the titles ('poet and essayist') and the name ('Alice Meynell') should read straight through as one unit, there should be no punctuation between the last title and the name. Therefore, the correct choice is 'essayist' with no following punctuation.