Question 185·Medium·Boundaries
According to ______, the giant squid inhabits deep ocean canyons that remain largely unexplored, leaving many questions about its biology unanswered.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and boundary questions like this, first read the full sentence including the area around the blank to see what role the missing phrase plays (e.g., name, description, transition). Then, recall key comma rules—especially for titles/occupations with names and for introductory phrases. Check whether there is already punctuation provided by the sentence; avoid choices that duplicate it and create "double" commas. Finally, use elimination: cross out any option that breaks a known rule (unnecessary commas, missing needed commas) and select the one that both sounds natural and follows the standard rule.
Hints
Look at the structure around the blank
Focus on the words right before and after the blank: "According to ______, the giant squid..." What kind of phrase usually comes after "According to" and before a comma?
Think about titles and names
You are combining a profession (marine biologist) with a person’s name (Edith Widder). When a profession comes directly before a name, do you normally put a comma between them?
Watch out for double commas
There is already a comma printed after the blank in the sentence. What happens if you pick an answer choice that also ends with a comma?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what belongs in the blank
Read the whole sentence:
"According to ______, the giant squid inhabits deep ocean canyons that remain largely unexplored, leaving many questions about its biology unanswered."
The blank must name the source of the information. So we need a complete phrase that identifies a specific person: their profession (marine biologist) plus their name (Edith Widder). This whole phrase is the object of "According to."
Apply the rule for titles and occupations before names
When a profession or title comes directly before a person’s name and is essential to identifying them, we do not use commas between the title and the name.
Correct patterns:
- "astronaut Neil Armstrong"
- "author Jane Austen"
- "marine biologist Edith Widder"
Incorrect patterns:
- "astronaut, Neil Armstrong"
- "author, Jane Austen"
So any choice that puts a comma between the job title and the name is breaking this rule.
Notice the comma already in the sentence
In the prompt, there is already a comma right after the blank:
"According to ______, the giant squid..."
That means we do not want an extra comma at the very end of the answer choice, or we would end up with two commas in a row (",,"). So eliminate any choice that ends with a comma, because the printed comma after the blank is already doing that job.
Eliminate wrong choices and select the correct one
Check each option:
- Any choice with a comma between "marine biologist" and "Edith Widder" is wrong (violates the title+name rule).
- Any choice that ends with a comma is wrong (would create ",,").
The only option that:
- Keeps the job title directly before the name with no comma between them, and
- Does not add an extra comma at the end
is "marine biologist Edith Widder", so that is the correct answer.