Question 201·Hard·Boundaries
During the final stages of product testing, the engineering team discovered that the prototype could withstand temperatures far beyond its original specification; the marketing department, ______ insisted on highlighting the device's portability rather than its durability.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation questions with transition words in the middle of a sentence, first locate the core subject and verb to see whether the transition is interrupting that core. Then, check the punctuation already present around the blank and choose the option that uses matching punctuation to set off the interrupter without incorrectly breaking the subject-verb connection. Quickly eliminate any choice that introduces a semicolon or single dash inside a clause where a simple comma pair is needed.
Hints
Look at the role of the blanked word
Focus on the second part of the sentence: "the marketing department, ______ insisted." Notice how the blank falls between the subject and the verb. What kind of word usually appears there?
Pay attention to existing punctuation
There is already a comma before the blank, after "department." Think about what punctuation typically appears on both sides of a short interrupting word or phrase in the middle of a sentence.
Eliminate options that break the subject-verb link
The subject is "the marketing department" and the verb is "insisted." Eliminate any option that would place a strong clause-breaking punctuation mark (like a semicolon or dash) directly between them in a way that splits the subject from its verb.
Check for matching punctuation marks
Ask yourself: which option lets the sentence use the same type of punctuation to set off the interrupting word on both sides, creating a smooth, standard structure?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence structure
Break the sentence into its main parts:
- First clause: "During the final stages of product testing, the engineering team discovered that the prototype could withstand temperatures far beyond its original specification"
- Second clause: "the marketing department, ______ insisted on highlighting the device's portability rather than its durability."
The semicolon before "the marketing department" shows we have two independent clauses joined correctly by a semicolon.
Identify what the blanked word is doing
In the second clause, the core subject and verb are "the marketing department ... insisted."
The word in the blank is an interrupting transition placed between the subject ("the marketing department") and the verb ("insisted"). This kind of interrupting word or phrase must be set off from the rest of the sentence with punctuation on both sides.
Notice the existing punctuation around the blank
Look closely at the words around the blank:
"the marketing department, ______ insisted"
There is already a comma before the blank, after "department." To set off the interrupting word correctly, the punctuation after the word must match the comma before it (that is, we need another comma after the transition word).
Check each answer choice for proper matching punctuation
We need the word followed by punctuation that will pair correctly with the existing comma, so the sentence reads like this: "the marketing department, [transition], insisted..."
Only choice B) however, provides a comma after the transition, matching the comma before it and correctly setting off the interrupting word.
Correct answer: B) however,