Question 72·Hard·Boundaries
The board approved the measure after months of debate; the _____ which seeks to overhaul campus transportation, will roll out in phases beginning next spring.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation/boundaries questions, first strip away descriptive or interrupting phrases to find the core sentence; check that each side of strong punctuation (semicolon, colon, dash) is grammatically complete. Then decide whether the middle phrase is essential or extra; nonessential phrases (often introduced by "which") must be set off with matching punctuation—usually commas or a pair of dashes. Finally, eliminate options that create sentence fragments, mismatched punctuation, or fail to separate nonessential information.
Hints
Identify the main sentence without the extra information
Cover up the words from "which" to "transportation" and read the sentence. Does it still make sense and form a complete thought?
Classify the "which" phrase
Ask yourself: Are the words starting with "which" necessary to know which proposal is meant, or are they just adding extra description about that proposal?
Think about how extra information is punctuated
When a clause in the middle of a sentence adds extra, removable information, what kind of punctuation usually appears on both sides of that clause?
Check the requirements for a semicolon
A semicolon must be between two complete sentences. Look at the words after the blank; can they stand alone as a complete sentence beginning with "which"?
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the core of the second clause
Focus on everything after the semicolon:
"the proposal ___ which seeks to overhaul campus transportation, will roll out in phases beginning next spring."
Temporarily remove the "which" phrase:
"the proposal will roll out in phases beginning next spring."
This is a complete idea, so "which seeks to overhaul campus transportation" is extra, describing the proposal.
Recognize the type of phrase starting with "which"
The phrase "which seeks to overhaul campus transportation" is a nonessential (nonrestrictive) clause giving extra information about "the proposal."
Nonessential clauses:
- Are not needed to identify the noun
- Can be removed without changing the basic meaning
- Must be set off with punctuation (usually commas, or a pair of dashes or parentheses).
Decide what punctuation is needed after "proposal"
Because this "which" clause is nonessential, you need punctuation after "proposal" to open the extra-information clause, and then matching punctuation after the clause to close it.
You already have a comma after "transportation" later in the sentence, so whatever punctuation you choose after "proposal" must match that comma in strength and style.
Test each choice against the punctuation rules
Read each option in the sentence and check:
- A dash after "proposal" would need a matching dash later, not a comma.
- No punctuation after "proposal" would fail to set off the nonessential "which" clause.
- A semicolon would incorrectly suggest that what follows is a full sentence.
Only a comma after "proposal" correctly opens the nonessential "which" clause and matches the comma after "transportation," so the correct answer is C) proposal,.