Unlike most nocturnal birds, the kakapo—a flightless parrot native to _____ on a keen sense of smell to locate food in the dark.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation-boundary questions, strip the sentence to its core subject and verb, then identify any interrupting appositives. Remember that interruptions must be enclosed by matching punctuation (two commas, two dashes, or parentheses). Ensure the punctuation also preserves a complete main clause where required.
Hints
Spot the interrupting phrase
Identify the extra-information phrase describing the kakapo (“a flightless parrot native to New Zealand”) and note that it interrupts the main clause.
Match the opener
A dash already introduces the descriptive phrase. What punctuation should appear right after “New Zealand” to close that interruption before the main verb begins?
Read the sentence without the interruption
Mentally remove the descriptive phrase so it reads, “Unlike most nocturnal birds, the kakapo … relies on a keen sense of smell ….” Choose the option that lets you restore the phrase with properly matched punctuation.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the core sentence
Temporarily remove the descriptive phrase to see the main structure:
“Unlike most nocturnal birds, the kakapo ___ on a keen sense of smell to locate food in the dark.”
The subject is “the kakapo,” and the main verb should be “relies (on…).” The blank in the original sentence must therefore bridge the end of the descriptive phrase and the start of the main verb.
Recognize the nonessential appositive
The words “a flightless parrot native to New Zealand” provide extra, nonessential information about “the kakapo.” This appositive is introduced with an em dash after “kakapo,” so it must be closed with matching punctuation before the sentence resumes the main clause.
Apply the matching-punctuation rule
Interrupting, nonessential phrases in the middle of a sentence must be enclosed by matching marks: two commas, two dashes, or parentheses. Because an em dash opens the appositive, an em dash must close it immediately after “New Zealand,” before the verb “relies.”
Test the choices
Insert each option:
- “New Zealand relies” → no closing punctuation after “New Zealand,” leaving the dash-opened appositive unclosed.
- “New Zealand: relies” → a colon cannot close an em-dash interruption and also must follow a complete clause, which “the kakapo—a flightless parrot native to New Zealand” is not.
- “New Zealand—relies” → properly closes the em-dash interruption and resumes the main clause: “the kakapo … relies on ….”
- “New Zealand, relies” → mixes punctuation (opens with a dash but tries to close with a comma), which is inconsistent.
Therefore, the correct answer is “New Zealand—relies.”