Question 89·Medium·Boundaries
______ the giant sequoia can live more than three thousand years and grow to over three hundred feet tall.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation and boundaries questions, first decide whether the words before the punctuation form a complete sentence or just an introductory phrase. If it’s only an introductory phrase, you almost always need a comma before the main clause, never a semicolon. Then check each option: eliminate ones that use semicolons without two full clauses, ones that omit the needed comma, and ones that insert extra commas that break up a short phrase unnaturally. Reading the sentence smoothly in your head can help you hear where a natural single pause belongs.
Hints
Figure out what kind of word group the blank needs
Look at the part after the blank: "the giant sequoia can live more than three thousand years and grow to over three hundred feet tall." Is this already a complete sentence? If it is, then the blank should be filled with a descriptive phrase, not another complete sentence.
Think about punctuation after introductory phrases
When a descriptive phrase comes before the main clause, what punctuation usually appears between that phrase and the main clause? Keep that in mind as you compare the options.
Watch for misplaced or incorrect punctuation
Ask yourself: Does the comma (or semicolon) come after the entire introductory phrase, or does it appear too early or in a way that suggests there should be two complete sentences? Eliminate any option where the punctuation doesn’t match the structure.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what goes in the blank
Read the sentence with a generic phrase:
"______ the giant sequoia can live more than three thousand years and grow to over three hundred feet tall."
The part after the blank ("the giant sequoia can live...") is a complete sentence on its own (it has a subject and verb and expresses a complete thought). That means the blank should be filled with an introductory phrase that describes the sequoia, not with another full sentence.
Recall the punctuation rule for introductory phrases
When a sentence begins with an introductory phrase that is not a complete clause, it is normally followed by a comma before the main clause.
Here, the words that will go in the blank describe how the giant sequoia developed (its evolution). This descriptive phrase should come first, then a comma, then the main clause:
introductory descriptive phrase + comma + "the giant sequoia can live..."
Check each option’s punctuation and choose the one that fits the rule
Now test the answer choices with that rule in mind:
- Any choice without a comma after the full introductory phrase leaves the description and main clause stuck together without the standard pause.
- Any choice that puts a comma inside the short phrase (like after just the first word) breaks the phrase into awkward pieces.
- Any choice that uses a semicolon after the phrase is wrong because semicolons must join two complete sentences, and the introductory phrase is not a complete sentence.
Only one option correctly gives the full introductory phrase followed by a single comma before the main clause: "Evolving over millions of years," which is the correct answer.