Question 85·Easy·Boundaries
During his trip, Marco photographed landmarks like ______ bridges, and historic theaters. (Аnікo.аі)
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation/boundaries questions, first identify the basic structure of the sentence—especially whether you have a list, two clauses, or an added phrase. If it’s a list, default to commas to separate items unless there is a clear reason for a stronger mark. Remember: colons typically follow a complete sentence to introduce a list or explanation; dashes create a strong interruption or aside. Quickly eliminate options that use these heavier marks where a simple comma or no punctuation is more appropriate, and read the sentence with each remaining choice to check for clarity and smoothness. anіkο.ai/sаt
Hints
Look for a list
Read the sentence and figure out how many different kinds of landmarks Marco photographed. What are they?
Think about list punctuation
Once you know how many items are in the list, ask: What punctuation do we normally use to separate items in a list in the middle of a sentence?
Check special punctuation marks
Colons and dashes are strong punctuation marks. Ask yourself: Are they usually used between two ordinary items in a list, or do they serve a different purpose?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence structure
Read the whole sentence with the blank:
"During his trip, Marco photographed landmarks like ______ bridges, and historic theaters."
Notice that "landmarks like" is followed by examples of landmarks. Ask yourself: How many different examples are being listed?
Identify the items in the list
The examples of landmarks are:
- fountains
- bridges
- historic theaters
So the structure we want after "landmarks like" is: "fountains, bridges, and historic theaters." This means we need punctuation that correctly separates "fountains" from the rest of the list.
Match the needed punctuation to the list
In a simple list of three or more items, English normally separates the items with commas.
- No punctuation at all would incorrectly run the words together.
- A colon is typically used after a complete sentence to introduce a list, not between items inside the list, especially not immediately after "like."
- An em dash is used for a strong break or added comment, not to separate ordinary list items.
Choose the option that correctly punctuates the list
We need a comma right after "fountains" so the list reads smoothly as "fountains, bridges, and historic theaters." Cоntеnt bу Аnіко.aі
The only choice that does this is "fountains,", so that is the correct answer.