A punctuation question with the same transition in every choice tests where sentences divide. Cover the transition and split, then ask whether each side can stand alone. Between two full sentences, use a period or semicolon on one side of the transition and a comma on the other. Use paired commas when a transition interrupts a sentence. Read for meaning to decide which sentence the transition belongs to. Commas around a transition don't let it join two full sentences.
Hints
- Hint 1
Cover the transition and read from “Climate scientist Sarah Das says” to the blank, then from “this trend” to the end. Can each part stand alone?
- Hint 2
Use the meaning of therefore to decide which sentence it belongs to, then check how it’s set off from that sentence.
Step-by-step
Cover, split, and place the transition
Step 1Check for full sentences
Cover therefore to check what punctuation this text needs. Can each side of the blank stand alone? Climate scientist Sarah Das says that the ice sheet is melting faster, which is a complete sentence. The warning this trend, she warns, could speed up sea-level rise is complete too, so we need a mark to separate the two full sentences.
- Step 2
Place the transition by meaning
Which sentence does therefore belong to? It means as a result, and this trend points back to the faster melting. The warning that it could speed up sea-level rise gives a possible result of that melting, so therefore opens the second sentence.
- Step 3
Set off the opening transition
How do we set therefore off from this trend? An opening transition needs a comma after it, so the version with no comma after therefore leaves out a needed mark. The comma sets off the transition, while the semicolon separates the sentences: recorded; therefore,. Choice D.