Question 73·Easy·Boundaries
Although the art installation appeared spontaneous ______ its construction required months of meticulous planning.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For sentence-boundary questions like this, first strip away extra phrases (such as parentheses) to see the core structure. Identify whether you have subordinating words like "Although," "Because," or "When"—these usually require a pattern like "Although X, Y" where X is a dependent clause and Y is a full independent clause. Then, choose the option that correctly places the comma between the clauses, avoids sentence fragments or run-ons, and does not add unnecessary conjunctions that disrupt the basic pattern.
Hints
Identify the role of "Although"
Look at how sentences that start with "Although" are usually structured. Where does the comma typically go in relation to the first clause and the second clause?
Temporarily ignore the parentheses
Try reading the sentence without the words in parentheses. What punctuation do you expect between the part that begins with "Although" and the rest of the sentence?
Check punctuation around the parentheses
Remember that if the entire clause needs a comma, that comma usually goes outside the parentheses. Which option places the comma in the most logical spot for the whole clause?
Watch out for extra conjunctions
Adding words like "and" can change the structure of the sentence. Does the sentence need another connector besides "Although" to link the two ideas?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the basic sentence structure
First, ignore the parentheses and imagine the simplest correct version of the sentence:
"Although the art installation appeared spontaneous, its construction required months of meticulous planning."
With "Although," the structure should be Although X, Y: a dependent (introductory) clause, a comma, then an independent clause.
See where the comma must go
Because "Although the art installation appeared spontaneous" is the dependent clause, it must be followed by a comma.
So the comma should come right after the entire dependent clause ends, before "its construction required..."
Fit the parenthetical phrase into the sentence
The phrase "at first glance" is extra information explaining how it appeared spontaneous, so it belongs in parentheses right after "spontaneous":
"Although the art installation appeared spontaneous (at first glance), its construction required months of meticulous planning."
Notice that the comma is outside the closing parenthesis, because it belongs to the whole clause, not just the parenthetical phrase.
Match this structure to the answer choices
We need a choice that:
- Keeps "at first glance" inside parentheses after "spontaneous"
- Puts a comma after the closing parenthesis
- Does not add an extra conjunction like "and" that would break the "Although X, Y" pattern
Only choice C) (at first glance), does all of this, so the correct answer is (at first glance),.