Question 242·Medium·Boundaries
The internship program offers three tracks: data science, which pairs students with experienced analysts; product design, which centers on user research and _____ and marketing strategy, which focuses on brand development and outreach.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries (punctuation) questions, identify the sentence’s main structure and determine what is being joined (two independent clauses, a list, or an interrupting phrase). Then look for punctuation already used nearby. In complex lists where items contain internal commas, use semicolons to separate the major items, and keep the punctuation consistent across the list.
Hints
Find what is being listed
Identify the three different internship tracks being offered, and notice where each one starts and ends.
Look at the punctuation already used between items
Check what punctuation separates the first track (data science) from the second track (product design). Should the separation between the second and third tracks use the same punctuation?
Think about lists with extra commas inside items
When each item in a list already contains commas, what punctuation is often used to separate the items clearly?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the structure of the sentence
The sentence introduces a list after the colon:
- data science, which pairs students with experienced analysts
- product design, which centers on user research and _____
- marketing strategy, which focuses on brand development and outreach
The blank must complete the end of item 2 and create a clear boundary before item 3.
Notice the punctuation already used in the list
The first and second items are separated with a semicolon:
- "...experienced analysts; product design, which centers..."
Semicolons are commonly used to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas.
Decide what boundary is needed at the blank
The blank comes right before the third track ("and marketing strategy..."). Since the list items include internal commas and the sentence already uses a semicolon between items 1 and 2, the boundary between items 2 and 3 should use the same strong separator for consistency and clarity.
Evaluate each choice
- prototyping, would create a confusing run of commas in a list that already uses a semicolon between major items.
- prototyping— suggests an interruption or emphasis rather than a regular list separator.
- prototyping: would incorrectly suggest item 2 is introducing what follows.
Therefore, the correct choice is prototyping;.