A punctuation question with a blank before a description tests how extra information fits into a sentence. Read through the description to see where the main sentence picks up, then cross out the description to test whether the sentence still works. An insert, or extra information, in the middle of a sentence needs matching marks at both ends, whether commas, dashes, or parentheses. Don't let punctuation elsewhere in the sentence distract you from the insert's own marks.
Hints
- Hint 1
Focus on the words after the semicolon and find their subject and main verb. Which verb tells what the subject will do?
- Hint 2
Try reading the sentence without the words beginning with which. Then check the punctuation at the description's far end to decide what the blank must do.
Step-by-step
Find the insert and match its marks
Step 1Find the main verb
The semicolon in months of debate; tells us that the words following it must be able to stand alone as a sentence. What's the main verb in that part? It's will roll out, which tells what the subject will do. The verb in which seeks belongs to the description of the planned overhaul, so it doesn't replace the sentence's main verb. The description separates the subject from its main verb.
- Step 2
Cross out the description
Where does that description end? Cross out which seeks to overhaul campus transportation, and read straight from the noun at the blank to will roll out. The subject still connects to its main verb, so the description is an insert, extra information the sentence can do without. The comma after the description marks where the insert ends and the main sentence picks up again.
- Step 3
Match the two ends
The comma ending which seeks to overhaul campus transportation, calls for a matching mark at the beginning. The version with a dash makes a mixed pair, while the version with no punctuation leaves the insert without an opener. A semicolon would put a sentence break after the _____, which has no main verb and can't stand alone. The comma in proposal, adds the matching opener. Choice D.