Question 62·Medium·Boundaries
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has spent decades observing chimpanzees in Gombe National ______ documenting behaviors once thought to be uniquely human.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For sentence-boundary questions, first determine whether the text after the punctuation is an independent clause. Eliminate periods and semicolons if the following words aren’t a complete sentence. Then ensure modifiers like -ing participial phrases are correctly attached—use a comma to set off nonessential details from a complete main clause.
Hints
Is the second part a full sentence?
Look at the words after the blank. Do they have a clear subject and verb, or are they just describing more about what Jane Goodall has been doing?
Think about semicolons and periods
Semicolons and periods are used to separate two complete sentences. Ask yourself: would the part after the blank work as a complete sentence on its own?
How is the -ing phrase connected?
Consider how documenting behaviors once thought to be uniquely human relates to the rest of the sentence. What punctuation would best show that this phrase is extra information about Jane Goodall’s work rather than about the chimpanzees or the park?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the main clause
With any answer choice, the words before the punctuation read as: Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has spent decades observing chimpanzees in Gombe National Park. This has a subject (Jane Goodall) and a finite verb (has spent), so it is a complete independent clause.
Analyze the phrase after the blank
After the blank, we have: documenting behaviors once thought to be uniquely human. This -ing phrase has no subject, so it is not an independent clause; it’s a participial phrase that adds extra information about the subject.
Eliminate choices that require a full clause after them
A semicolon and a period must be followed by an independent clause. Because documenting behaviors once thought to be uniquely human is not a complete sentence, choices with Park; or Park. are incorrect.
Choose between comma and no punctuation
Without punctuation (Park), the -ing phrase runs directly after Park, implying the park is doing the documenting and creating a misattachment. A comma correctly sets off this nonessential participial phrase from the complete clause, so the correct answer is Park,.