Question 189·200 Super-Hard SAT Reading Questions·Standard English Conventions
In Mira Chen's novel The Empty Stage, the heroine's return to the ruined playhouse—both a nod to Gothic convention and, as her closing speech makes ______ allows Chen to question whether performance can ever reveal an authentic self.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For punctuation-boundary questions with nested interruptions, first strip away descriptive material to find the sentence's core subject and verb. Then work outward: match any opening dash with the boundary that ends the larger interruption, and use commas for a shorter clause nested inside that interruption.
Hints
Find the sentence core
Temporarily remove the material beginning with “both a nod” and identify the subject and main verb.
Track the opening boundary
Notice the punctuation immediately after “playhouse.” Determine where the interruption introduced there ends.
Examine the inner interruption
Read the parallel phrases beginning with “both” and “and” while temporarily removing “as her closing speech makes clear.”
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the core sentence
Without the supplementary material, the sentence reads, “the heroine's return to the ruined playhouse allows Chen to question whether performance can ever reveal an authentic self.” The subject is “the heroine's return,” and its verb is “allows.”
Mark the outer interruption
The material beginning with “both a nod to Gothic convention” interrupts the subject and its verb. Because an opening dash appears after “playhouse,” a matching dash is needed before “allows.”
Punctuate the inner clause
Within the dashed-off material, “as her closing speech makes clear” interrupts the parallel structure “both a nod to Gothic convention and a symbol of the roles imposed on her.” Commas must surround this inner clause.