For sentences with long interrupting phrases, first remove the extra details and identify the basic subject-verb structure. Once the main verb is located, reject choices that introduce an additional main verb without a conjunction. Then check whether a modifying phrase needs commas on both sides.
Hints
- Hint 1
Find the core action
Determine which verb states what the critic does to the narrators' evasions.
- Hint 2
Ignore embedded verbs
The verbs “protects” and “discloses” belong to the clause about each novel's account; neither is the main verb of the whole sentence.
- Hint 3
Examine the interruption
Consider whether the material between the critic's name and “characterizes” should function as a main predicate or as extra information about the critic.
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Identify the sentence's core
Temporarily remove the material about the novels' first-person accounts. The core sentence is “critic Imani Brooks characterizes the narrators' evasions as structural principles rather than merely personal flaws.” Thus, “characterizes” is the main verb.
- Step 2
Choose the appropriate verb form
Because the sentence already has the main verb “characterizes,” the blank should not introduce another main verb. The form “arguing” creates a modifying phrase that provides additional information about Brooks.
- Step 3
Check the punctuation
The phrase beginning with “arguing” interrupts the main clause, so it must be set off with commas: one after “Brooks” and the existing comma after “readers.”