Question 211·Easy·Boundaries
In his laboratory notes, chemist Nikhil Rao recorded that previous catalysts had degraded within hours; he posed a question: with his newly developed alloy, ____
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and sentence-boundary questions, always read the entire sentence and identify the structure and meaning first: Is the final clause a question or a statement? Does a colon introduce an exact quote, a question, or a restatement? Then check that the word order (question vs. statement) and the ending punctuation (question mark vs. period) match that meaning. Eliminate any choice where the structure and punctuation do not align with what the sentence is saying.
Hints
Check what comes after the colon
The colon follows the phrase "he posed a question:". Ask yourself: should the words that follow look like the actual question he asked or just a regular statement?
Listen for question vs. statement
Read the two different patterns in your head: "would the alloy retain its activity" vs. "the alloy would retain its activity". Which one sounds like a question?
Match meaning to punctuation
Since he posed a question, what kind of ending punctuation should the clause after the colon use—period or question mark?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the colon is doing
The sentence says, "he posed a question:" and then uses a colon. A colon usually introduces what comes next: an explanation, a list, or in this case, the actual question he asked. So the blank must contain the exact wording of his question.
Decide if the blank should be a question or a statement
Because he "posed a question", the words after the colon should themselves be in the form of a question, not just a statement about the alloy. That means we expect question word order and question punctuation.
Compare question word order vs. statement word order
In English, yes/no questions usually put a helping verb (like would) before the subject:
- Question word order: would the alloy retain its activity (helper before subject)
- Statement word order: the alloy would retain its activity (subject before helper)
After a colon that introduces a question, it is more natural to use the direct-question form: helper + subject.
Match the correct punctuation to the correct word order
Now look at the answer choices:
- Some use question word order but end with a period.
- Others use statement word order and/or end with a question mark.
We need the option that both (1) sounds like an actual question (helper before subject) and (2) ends with a question mark, since it is the question he posed. The only choice that does both is “would the alloy retain its activity?”.