Question 209·Medium·Boundaries
Photographer Marion Post Wolcott documented rural life for the Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression, and her photos are now prized for their candid portrayal of hardship. In 1938, she traveled through the Mississippi _____ making images that would later become iconic depictions of the era.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries questions, determine whether the words after the blank form an independent clause. If they begin with an -ing participial phrase (like "making"), they usually cannot stand alone, so they should be attached to the complete clause with a comma—not a semicolon or period.
Hints
Check whether the words after the blank can stand alone
Read what comes after the blank: "making images that would later become iconic depictions of the era." Does that part have a subject and a main verb, or is it describing what she was doing?
Use the semicolon test
A semicolon should usually have a complete sentence on both sides. If you put a semicolon in the blank, would the words after it form a complete sentence?
Be careful with ", and"
If an option includes ", and," check that what comes after "and" is grammatically parallel to what comes before it.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the independent clause before the blank
The clause before the blank is a complete sentence:
"In 1938, she traveled through the Mississippi Delta"
It has a subject ("she") and a verb ("traveled").
Identify what comes after the blank
After the blank, the sentence continues with:
"making images that would later become iconic depictions of the era"
This is a participial (-ing) phrase. It does not have its own subject and verb as a full independent clause; instead, it modifies the action in the main clause.
Choose the correct boundary punctuation
A nonessential participial phrase that modifies a complete clause is typically attached with a comma.
- A semicolon requires an independent clause on both sides.
- A period would incorrectly split the sentence, leaving a fragment after it.
- ", and" would require a grammatically parallel coordinated element after "and" (which "making images..." is not).
Eliminate wrong choices and select the correct one
- "Delta;" is wrong because what follows ("making images...") is not an independent clause.
- "Delta." is wrong because it creates a fragment ("making images...") and also incorrectly begins the next sentence with a lowercase word.
- "Delta, and" is wrong because "and making..." is not a grammatically correct coordination with "she traveled...".
Therefore, the correct choice is "Delta,".