Question 177·Hard·Boundaries
Galvez hoped that the biography would revive interest in the nearly forgotten composer_____ critics, however, remained skeptical of her interpretive liberties.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation/boundaries questions, first decide whether the parts around the punctuation are independent clauses. If both sides are complete sentences, you typically need either a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or a semicolon (possibly with a word like "however" followed by a comma). Watch for duplicate connectors (e.g., semicolon + but, or repeating words like "however") and avoid joining two sentences with just a comma and a conjunctive adverb, which creates a comma splice.
Hints
Check if each side of the blank is a complete thought
Ask yourself: Can the words before the blank stand alone as a sentence? Can the words after the blank (ignoring "however") also stand alone? That will tell you what kind of punctuation you need.
Look closely at how "however" is used
Notice that "however" already appears after the word "critics" and is surrounded by commas. Think about whether the blank should introduce another "however" or just connect the two clauses.
Recall how to correctly connect two independent clauses
When you have two complete sentences, you can join them with a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (like "but") or with a semicolon (sometimes followed by a connector like "however"). Which option follows one of these patterns without repeating words unnecessarily?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the clauses on each side of the blank
Read what comes before and after the blank:
- Before: "Galvez hoped that the biography would revive interest in the nearly forgotten composer" — this is a complete sentence (independent clause) with subject (Galvez) and verb (hoped).
- After: "critics, however, remained skeptical of her interpretive liberties" — if you remove "however," you get "critics remained skeptical of her interpretive liberties," which is also a complete sentence.
So, the blank must correctly join two independent clauses.
Notice the role of "however"
In the part after the blank, "however" is placed between the subject (critics) and the verb (remained) and is set off by commas: "critics, however, remained...".
That means "however" is already being used as an interrupter inside the second clause, not as the main connector between the two clauses. The punctuation in the blank must join the clauses without adding an extra, unnecessary "however" or breaking that structure.
Recall the rules for joining independent clauses
There are a few correct ways to join two independent clauses:
- Use a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so): for example, "..., but ...".
- Use a semicolon alone: "...; ...".
- Use a semicolon plus a conjunctive adverb (like however, therefore, moreover) followed by a comma: "...; however, ...".
You should not stack two joining methods (like semicolon + coordinating conjunction) or join clauses with just a comma and a conjunctive adverb (", however").
Test each answer choice against the rules
Now apply the rules to each option:
- A) " ; but" would give: "...composer; but critics, however, remained...". A semicolon already joins two clauses; adding "but" (a coordinating conjunction) after a semicolon is incorrect because it doubles up the connectors.
- B) " ; however," would give: "...composer; however, critics, however, remained...". This repeats "however" twice and makes the sentence wordy and awkward.
- D) " , however" would give: "...composer, however critics, however, remained...". Here, a comma plus "however" is incorrectly used to join two independent clauses (a comma splice), and "however" is again repeated.
The only choice that correctly joins two complete clauses with a comma plus a coordinating conjunction, while keeping the existing "however" inside the second clause, is C) ", but".