Question 195·Hard·Boundaries
Despite the committee's initial reservations, voiced by its most senior ______ the proposal to retrofit the century-old courthouse with geothermal heating ultimately won unanimous approval.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundary/punctuation questions, first identify the core independent clause (main subject + verb). Then decide whether the words around the blank are independent clauses or introductory/nonessential material. If the left side isn’t a complete sentence, eliminate semicolons and colons. Finally, if a nonessential phrase is inserted, ensure it is properly closed off (often with a comma, or with paired punctuation if dashes are used).
Hints
Locate the main clause
Temporarily ignore everything before "the proposal" and identify the main subject and verb to see where the main sentence really begins.
Test whether the modifier is removable
Try removing "voiced by its most senior members". If the sentence still works, that phrase is nonessential and should be set off with punctuation.
Check what the left side can support
Look at the text before the blank. Is it a complete sentence on its own? If not, eliminate punctuation that typically separates complete sentences.
Match the punctuation used to set off the interruption
Notice the comma before "voiced by its most senior members." If that phrase is an interruption, it usually needs matching punctuation to close it before the main clause continues.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the main sentence core
Identify the main subject and verb.
- Main subject: "the proposal to retrofit the century-old courthouse with geothermal heating"
- Main verb: "won"
So the main clause is: "the proposal ... ultimately won unanimous approval."
Analyze the introductory material
Before the main clause, the sentence has an introductory element:
- "Despite the committee's initial reservations" (introductory phrase)
- "voiced by its most senior members" (a nonessential modifier describing "reservations")
Because the modifier is nonessential and is already introduced by a comma after "reservations," it should be closed off with a comma before the main clause begins.
Eliminate punctuation that can’t follow a fragment
Check what comes before the blank: it is not an independent clause.
- A semicolon and a colon must follow a complete sentence, so they cannot work here.
- A dash can set off an interruption, but when dashes are used to set off a phrase, they typically come in pairs; here the interruption is already opened with a comma, not a dash.
Choose the punctuation that properly closes the modifier
A comma after "members" closes the nonessential modifier and smoothly connects to the main clause: "... voiced by its most senior members, the proposal ... won unanimous approval." Therefore, the correct answer is members,.