Question 220·Easy·Boundaries
Bees flap their wings roughly 230 times per second. Why _____ Researchers have discovered that this rapid motion creates the lift their small bodies require.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For SAT Standard English Conventions questions that involve filling in sentence boundaries or punctuation, first identify the sentence type (statement, question, exclamation). Then, check for correct word order (especially in questions) and end punctuation. Eliminate any answer that makes the sentence a fragment, run-on, or uses the wrong punctuation mark for the sentence type. Finally, read the full sentence with your chosen option to confirm it sounds like a complete, correctly punctuated sentence in formal written English.
Hints
Identify what kind of sentence it is
Look at the word that starts the second sentence: “Why.” What kind of sentence usually begins with “why”?
Think about question word order
In a direct question that uses “why,” where does the helping verb (like “do”) go in relation to the subject (like “they”)? Before or after?
Check the punctuation at the end
Since the writer is asking a question, what punctuation mark should be at the very end of the completed sentence?
Match both grammar and punctuation
Choose the option that both uses the correct word order for a direct question and ends with the correct punctuation for a question.
Step-by-step Explanation
Notice the sentence type
Look at the second sentence: Why _____ Researchers have discovered...
The word “Why” at the beginning tells you this sentence is intended to be a direct question asking for a reason. Direct questions in English must use question word order and end with a question mark.
Check for correct word order in questions
In a direct question with “why,” we usually put a helping verb (like “do”) before the subject:
- Correct: Why do they need to beat their wings so quickly?
- Incorrect: Why they do need to beat their wings so quickly?
So in the blank, we are looking for a phrase that begins with “do they”, not just “they.” This lets us eliminate any choice that starts with “they” instead of “do they.”
Check the end punctuation
Direct questions must end with a question mark, not a period:
- Correct: Why do they need to beat their wings so quickly?
- Incorrect: Why do they need to beat their wings so quickly.
So among the choices that have the right word order, we must also choose the one that ends with “?” rather than “.”.
Combine correct word order and punctuation
We need both:
- Question word order: “do they …”
- A question mark at the end: “?”
Only choice D, “do they need to beat their wings so quickly?” satisfies both conditions and correctly completes the question:
Bees flap their wings roughly 230 times per second. Why do they need to beat their wings so quickly? Researchers have discovered that this rapid motion creates the lift their small bodies require.