Question 108·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Standard English Conventions
Anthropologist Margaret Mead argued that adolescence is not universally turbulent, her field studies in Samoa _____ differences in social support systems that shaped teenagers’ experiences.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For structure and grammar questions like this, first locate the main subject and verb to see whether you already have a complete sentence before or after any comma. Then decide if the blank needs a full clause (with its own subject and finite verb) or a dependent structure (like an -ing phrase or relative clause). Eliminate choices that create comma splices (two sentences joined by just a comma) or fragments, and read the remaining option(s) in the full sentence to check for smooth, logical, and tense-consistent phrasing.
Hints
Check if you already have a complete sentence
Look closely at the part before the comma. Does it already have a subject and a verb that form a complete thought?
Think about what should come after the comma
Since the sentence is already complete before the comma, ask: should the next part be another full sentence, or a phrase that adds more information about "her field studies in Samoa"?
Classify each answer choice by its grammar function
Decide whether each option (revealed, which revealed, reveal, revealing) would create a full clause with its own subject and verb, or a descriptive phrase that depends on the main clause.
Watch for comma splices and fragments
Remember that two complete sentences cannot be joined by just a comma, and a long phrase after a comma still needs to fit grammatically with the main clause.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the main clause before the blank
Read the part of the sentence before the blank:
"Anthropologist Margaret Mead argued that adolescence is not universally turbulent, her field studies in Samoa _____ differences in social support systems that shaped teenagers’ experiences."
The main clause is "Anthropologist Margaret Mead argued that adolescence is not universally turbulent." This is already a complete sentence with subject ("Anthropologist Margaret Mead") and verb ("argued").
So, the words after the comma should add extra information about her field studies and how they connect to her argument, without creating a new separate main sentence joined only by a comma.
Decide what kind of structure is needed after the comma
After a complete sentence plus a comma, you generally have two options:
- Start a second complete sentence with a conjunction (like "and"), or
- Add a modifier or descriptive phrase that attaches to the main clause.
Here, there is no conjunction like "and" or "but" after the comma. That means the correct choice should create a dependent, descriptive phrase that smoothly modifies "her field studies in Samoa" and explains what they did, without becoming another independent clause.
Check what each answer choice would do to the sentence
Plug in each option and think about the grammar role it plays:
- A) revealed → "..., her field studies in Samoa revealed differences..." → This creates a new full clause (subject = "her field studies in Samoa," verb = "revealed"). A comma alone between two full clauses is a comma splice (run-on sentence).
- B) which revealed → "..., her field studies in Samoa which revealed differences..." → "which revealed" starts a dependent relative clause. Now the second part becomes a long noun phrase ("her field studies in Samoa which revealed...") with no main verb, so it’s a fragment after the comma and is not parallel to "argued."
- C) reveal → "..., her field studies in Samoa reveal differences..." → Again, this is a full clause after a comma, giving another subject-verb pair and creating a comma splice. It also awkwardly shifts tense from past ("argued") to present ("reveal").
- D) revealing → "..., her field studies in Samoa revealing differences..." → This turns the second part into a participial phrase (an -ing phrase) that describes "her field studies in Samoa" and links back to her argument.
Only one option produces a dependent, descriptive phrase that correctly follows a complete sentence and comma.
Confirm the smooth, grammatical version
Now read the full sentence with the best-fitting choice:
"Anthropologist Margaret Mead argued that adolescence is not universally turbulent, her field studies in Samoa revealing differences in social support systems that shaped teenagers’ experiences."
Here, "revealing differences..." is a participial phrase that explains how her studies support her argument. The sentence has one main verb ("argued") and then a descriptive phrase, so it is grammatically correct and stylistically smooth. Therefore, the correct answer is D) revealing.