A punctuation question with the same transition in every choice tests sentence breaks and commas around it. Cover the transition and split the text, then ask whether each side can stand alone. A period or semicolon separates full sentences; paired commas set off a transition inside one. A colon follows a full sentence and introduces a list or words that explain it, so check how the ideas relate. Commas around a transition can hide an incorrect sentence break.
Hints
- Hint 1
Cover however and test whether each side can stand alone. Read the words about the director and the words about the actors as separate sentences.
- Hint 2
Check how the actors' preference relates to the director's demand. Does it explain the demand, or go against it?
Step-by-step
Cover, split, and punctuate
Step 1Find the full sentences
Cover however and split at the actors to test the sentence break. The words The director insisted on a strict shooting, completed by schedule, form a full sentence. The actors preferred a more flexible approach, which gives us another full sentence. A transition links ideas but can't join full sentences, so a comma alone won't connect them.
- Step 2
Check how the ideas relate
Do the actors explain the director's demand, or go against it? They want a more flexible approach, while the director insists on a strict shooting schedule, so their preferences conflict. A colon follows a full sentence to introduce a list or words that explain it, so it doesn't fit this contrast.
- Step 3
Place the sentence break and commas
Where does however sit in the actors' sentence? It comes between the actors and preferred a more flexible approach, so a comma on each side sets it off. The version with a semicolon after schedule separates the full sentences while keeping however inside the actors' sentence. Choice B.