Question 76·Easy·Boundaries
Many birdwatchers eagerly ____ annual migration of sandhill cranes across the Platte River basin, a spectacular event that draws thousands of visitors each spring.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and sentence-boundary questions, first identify the core sentence: find the subject, verb, and object or complement. Then test each option by reading the full sentence and asking: (1) Does this create a correct complete clause, or a fragment/run-on? (2) Does any punctuation improperly split the subject from the verb or the verb from its object? Quickly eliminate any choice that creates a fragment, run-on, or breaks apart elements that should stay together, such as a verb and its direct object.
Hints
Look at what comes right after the blank
Focus on the words after the blank: "annual migration of sandhill cranes..." Ask yourself what role these words play in the sentence—are they something being acted on, or the start of a new sentence?
Check if a new sentence actually starts here
If you put a period at the blank, does the part that follows work as a complete sentence with its own subject and verb, or would it be a fragment?
Think about punctuation between verbs and objects
In standard English, do we usually put a comma or colon directly between a verb and the thing it acts on (its direct object), or do they normally go together without punctuation?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the basic sentence structure
Read the sentence with the blank as if it has no punctuation:
"Many birdwatchers eagerly ____ annual migration of sandhill cranes across the Platte River basin, a spectacular event that draws thousands of visitors each spring."
We have:
- Subject: "Many birdwatchers"
- Adverb: "eagerly"
- We need a verb (and possibly a following word) that connects to "annual migration" as its direct object. So we want a smooth verb phrase leading directly into "annual migration."
Decide if punctuation is needed at the blank
Ask: does the sentence need to pause, end, or introduce something special at the blank?
- A period would end the sentence and start a new one.
- A comma would make a short pause inside the sentence.
- A colon usually introduces a list, explanation, or example after a complete clause.
Here, the words before the blank ("Many birdwatchers eagerly ...") are not a complete idea yet—we still need to say what they do. So we should not end the sentence or insert a strong break here. The verb and its object should usually not be split by punctuation.
Eliminate choices that incorrectly break the verb and its object
Now test each type of punctuation specifically in this spot:
- A period before "The" would make "Many birdwatchers eagerly observe." one sentence and "The annual migration ..." another. The second part would be missing a main verb, creating a fragment.
- A comma before "the" would separate the verb from its direct object: "observe, the annual migration"—this is not standard English.
- A colon would give "Many birdwatchers eagerly observe: the annual migration ...". On the SAT, you should not place a colon directly between a verb and its object.
So any choice that inserts a period, comma, or colon here breaks the sentence incorrectly.
Choose the option that keeps the sentence smooth and complete
The only choice that keeps the verb directly connected to its object without incorrect punctuation is "observe the", giving:
"Many birdwatchers eagerly observe the annual migration of sandhill cranes across the Platte River basin, a spectacular event that draws thousands of visitors each spring."
This reads as a single, clear sentence with a complete thought and correct standard English conventions.