Question 218·Medium·Boundaries
In 1777, more than a decade before the French Revolution, the French engineer Charles-Augustin de Coulomb presented his first treatise on friction to the Academy of Sciences in ____ However, the academy delayed publishing his findings for nearly a year.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundary questions, first verify whether each side of the blank is an independent clause. If the next word after the blank is capitalized and not a proper noun, treat that as a strong signal that a new sentence should begin there, so a period is often the best choice. Eliminate commas that would create comma splices, and use colons only when the second part clearly explains or lists the first.
Hints
Check for complete sentences
Decide whether the words before the blank could stand as a complete sentence, and whether the words after the blank could also stand as a complete sentence.
Use the capitalization clue
Look at the word immediately after the blank: it begins with a capital letter. What does that usually signal in the middle of a paragraph?
Avoid comma splices
If both sides are independent clauses, a comma by itself won’t correctly join them—even if the next word is a transition like "however."
Match the standard pattern
In formal writing, one common pattern is: Sentence. However, sentence. Choose the punctuation that creates that structure here.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what comes before and after the blank
Before the blank, the sentence has a subject and verb: Coulomb presented his treatise, and it ends with the prepositional phrase "in Paris." After the blank, "However, the academy delayed publishing his findings for nearly a year" is also an independent clause (subject: the academy; verb: delayed).
Decide what kind of boundary is needed
Because both parts are complete sentences, you need punctuation that can correctly separate two independent clauses.
Also notice that the word after the blank is capitalized: "However,". Capitalization strongly suggests the start of a new sentence.
Eliminate punctuation that doesn’t fit the structure
- A comma cannot correctly separate two independent clauses here (it would create a comma splice).
- A colon is used to introduce an explanation, list, or example; the second clause instead contrasts with the first and begins with "However,".
- A semicolon would typically be followed by a lowercase transition word ("; however,") rather than a capitalized one ("; However,") in standard SAT conventions.
Choose the option that makes the grammar correct
A period ends the first independent clause and allows a new sentence to begin with the transition "However,".
Therefore, the correct choice is Paris.