Question 202·Easy·Boundaries
Camilla planned to hike the entire trail this _____ she injured her ankle in May and had to shorten her trip.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundary questions, first check whether each side of the blank is an independent clause. If a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) like "but" follows the blank and both sides are independent clauses, the standard pattern is a comma before the conjunction. Eliminate choices that either create a run-on (no comma) or use punctuation that serves a different purpose (colon) or that the SAT treats as nonstandard in this structure (semicolon + coordinating conjunction).
Hints
Locate the conjunction
The blank is immediately before the word "but." Think about what punctuation normally appears right before "but" when it connects two complete sentences.
Check for independence
Can the words before the blank stand alone as a sentence? Can the words after "but" stand alone as a sentence?
Match punctuation to the job it does
If "but" is joining two independent clauses, what punctuation normally goes right before it? Which marks (like a colon or semicolon) typically serve a different purpose?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what comes before and after the blank
Read the sentence with the blank:
"Camilla planned to hike the entire trail this _____ she injured her ankle in May and had to shorten her trip."
Check whether each side could stand alone:
- "Camilla planned to hike the entire trail this summer" is an independent clause.
- "she injured her ankle in May and had to shorten her trip" is also an independent clause.
The word after the blank is "but," which signals contrast.
Use the rule for independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction
When two independent clauses are joined by a coordinating conjunction like "but," Standard English convention uses a comma before the conjunction:
independent clause comma "but" independent clause.
Eliminate choices that don’t fit with "but"
Test each option in context:
- "summer; but" is treated as nonstandard on the SAT because a semicolon is used to join independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
- "summer but" creates a run-on because it joins two independent clauses with no comma before the coordinating conjunction.
- "summer: but" misuses the colon, which typically introduces an explanation, list, or restatement (and it should not be followed by "but" here).
Choose the punctuation that correctly links the clauses
Only "summer, but" correctly joins the two independent clauses using standard punctuation before the coordinating conjunction "but." Therefore, the correct answer is summer, but.