Question 126·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Standard English Conventions
During early rehearsals for her groundbreaking productions, choreographer Katherine Dunham blended Caribbean social dances with ballet technique, a risky _____ required each performer to research the communities the dances came from; and rewrote sections of choreography nightly in response to musicians’ improvisations.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For boundaries questions, first identify whether the text is moving from one complete unit to the next (another independent clause or another item in a series). Then choose punctuation that matches that boundary: commas for minor breaks, but semicolons to separate items in a series when one or more items already contains commas. Finally, check consistency with punctuation used elsewhere in the sentence (here, the later semicolon signals the intended structure).
Hints
Look for a series
Notice that the sentence describes multiple actions Dunham did (blended…, required…, rewrote…). Figure out how those actions are being separated.
Check what comes right after the blank
The word after the blank begins another action (“required…”). Ask whether a comma is strong enough to separate it from what comes before.
Use the punctuation pattern later in the sentence
There is already a semicolon later in the sentence before “and rewrote…”. Consider what punctuation would create consistent separation among all items.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the sentence structure
The sentence lists three coordinated actions by Dunham:
- blended Caribbean dances with ballet technique (with the added description a risky gamble at the time)
- required each performer to research
- rewrote sections of choreography nightly
These items are in a series.
Decide what punctuation best separates the items
Because the first item already contains commas (including the descriptive phrase set off by a comma), the sentence uses semicolons to clearly separate the items in the series. You can see this pattern later in the sentence: ... came from; and rewrote ... so the earlier boundary should match.
Choose the option that creates the correct boundary
The choice that ends the first item with a semicolon and keeps the descriptive phrase readable is "gamble at the time;".