Question 224·Medium·Boundaries
Still, many historians regard the 1851 publication of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick—a sprawling novel that explores obsession, revenge, and the human _____ a landmark in American literature.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries questions, first find the sentence’s core by mentally removing interrupting or descriptive material. Then match the punctuation pattern already established: if an interruption is introduced with a dash, it should usually be closed with another dash; if it’s introduced with a comma, it should usually be closed with a comma. Eliminate options that create comma splices, misuse semicolons (which require two complete clauses), or add unnecessary double punctuation.
Hints
Check whether the middle phrase is removable
Try reading the sentence without “a sprawling novel that explores obsession, revenge, and the human condition.” If the sentence still works, that phrase is nonessential (an interruption).
Look at the punctuation that starts the interruption
What punctuation mark appears right before “a sprawling novel …”? That mark often needs a matching mark to close the interruption.
Match the opening punctuation
An interrupting description set off by dashes is usually enclosed by a pair of dashes. Pick the option that provides the matching closer and then continues smoothly into “as a landmark …” without extra punctuation.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the interrupting description
The phrase “a sprawling novel that explores obsession, revenge, and the human condition” is extra (nonessential) information describing Moby-Dick.
If you remove it, the core sentence is:
Still, many historians regard the 1851 publication of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick as a landmark in American literature.
So the blank should properly close the interruption and then reconnect to “as a landmark in American literature.”
Use the punctuation already present
Right before the descriptive phrase, the sentence has a dash: “Moby-Dick—a sprawling novel …”.
When a dash introduces an interrupting element, that element is typically enclosed by a matching dash at the end.
Choose the option that closes the dash interruption
Because the interrupting description began with a dash, it should end with a dash:
…the human condition—as a landmark in American literature.
Only “condition—as” correctly closes the dash interruption without adding extra punctuation.