Question 188·Medium·Boundaries
Literary scholar Evelyn Harris contends that the novel's fragmented structure mirrors the protagonist's disorienting experience; _____ critics, however, maintain that the structure merely obscures weak characterization.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For Standard English boundary and punctuation questions, first identify the larger sentence structure: find the clauses and any existing punctuation or linking words like "however" or "but." Then determine what part of speech is needed in the blank by looking at the surrounding words (especially the next word). Finally, plug each option into the sentence and quickly eliminate any that create double punctuation, duplicate contrast words, or break apart natural word groups (like an adjective and the noun it modifies), keeping the version that reads smoothly and grammatically.
Hints
Look at the word after the blank
Focus on the word that comes immediately after the blank: "critics." What kind of word usually comes before a noun like this?
Notice existing contrast and punctuation
You already have a semicolon before the blank and the word "however" after "critics." Do you need to add another contrasting word like "but" or extra punctuation, or is that contrast already clear?
Check each option in the full sentence
Read the full sentence out loud with each option in the blank. Which choice sounds like a smooth, standard phrase before "critics," and which ones make the structure choppy or ungrammatical?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the sentence structure
Split the sentence at the semicolon:
- First clause: "Literary scholar Evelyn Harris contends that the novel's fragmented structure mirrors the protagonist's disorienting experience;"
- Second clause: "_____ critics, however, maintain that the structure merely obscures weak characterization."
The semicolon already correctly joins two independent clauses. The blank is at the very start of the second clause, right before the noun "critics."
Decide what kind of word is needed
Look at the words right after the blank: "critics, however, maintain..." Since "critics" is a noun, the blank should be filled with a word that can describe or modify that noun, like an adjective or determiner (for example, "many critics," "some critics," etc.).
Also notice that the contrast between the two clauses is already signaled by the word "however" after "critics." So we do not need another contrasting conjunction (like "but") before "critics."
Eliminate options that create grammatical problems
Test each option in the sentence:
- "other but critics" → awkward and ungrammatical phrase; "other" cannot be separated from "critics" by "but" in this way.
- "other, but critics" → inserts a comma after "other" and a conjunction "but" before "critics," breaking the natural phrase and duplicating contrast when we already have "however."
- "other, critics" → adds a comma between "other" and "critics," incorrectly splitting the noun phrase.
The only acceptable option will be the one that lets "___ critics" remain a clean noun phrase and does not add unnecessary conjunctions or punctuation.
Confirm the correct, standard phrasing
The most natural and grammatically correct way to describe a different group of critics is to write "other critics" as a unit. This fits smoothly right after the semicolon and before "critics" without extra commas or conjunctions, and the contrast is already handled by "however."
So the correct choice is A) other.