Question 184·Easy·Boundaries
Although the museum officially closes at 5:00 p.m. ______ visitors are allowed to remain in the gift shop until 5:30 p.m.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation/boundary questions, first locate any conjunctions like "although," "because," or "when" to see if you have a dependent clause. Then test whether the words before the blank can stand alone as a complete sentence: if not, you generally cannot use a period or semicolon there. Remember that an introductory dependent clause that comes before the main clause is normally followed by a comma. Finally, match that needed punctuation to the answer choice, being careful not to confuse periods inside abbreviations (like "p.m.") with punctuation that ends the sentence.
Hints
Check if the first part is a complete sentence
Look only at the words before the blank. Ask yourself: can that part stand alone as a complete sentence, or does it sound like it needs more information?
Notice the word that starts the sentence
Focus on the word "Although" at the beginning. Think about what kind of clause it introduces and how that clause is usually connected to the rest of the sentence.
Think about what the punctuation should do
Ask yourself: should the punctuation at the blank end the sentence, or should it smoothly connect the first part to the second part, "visitors are allowed to remain in the gift shop until 5:30 p.m."?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the clauses and the key word
Read the full sentence:
"Although the museum officially closes at 5:00 p.m. ______ visitors are allowed to remain in the gift shop until 5:30 p.m."
The sentence starts with the word "Although", which is a subordinating conjunction. That means it introduces a dependent clause (an incomplete thought) that must be connected to an independent clause (a complete sentence). The second part, "visitors are allowed to remain in the gift shop until 5:30 p.m.," is an independent clause because it can stand alone as a complete sentence.
Decide if the first part can stand alone
Look just at the part before the blank:
"Although the museum officially closes at 5:00 p.m."
Because it begins with "Although," this is not a complete sentence; it leaves you expecting more information. Therefore, the punctuation at the blank must not end the sentence. That means we should not use punctuation that would create a full stop or treat the first part like a complete sentence.
Apply the rule for introductory dependent clauses
When a sentence begins with a dependent clause introduced by a word like "Although," the standard rule in English is:
- Introductory dependent clause, then main clause.
So we need punctuation that acts like a comma between the introductory clause and the main clause, not something that ends the sentence or creates a dramatic break. Only the choice that places a comma directly after "p.m." correctly follows this rule and keeps the sentence as one smooth complex sentence. Therefore, the correct answer is D) "p.m.,".