While examining a ceremonial cloth from the Andean highlands, textile conservator Lina Arce noticed differences in thread twist and dye absorption. These differences point to three distinct repair _____ in one, conservators replaced the original wool fringe; in another, they reinforced the linen ground; and in the third, they added silk tabs now used to hang the piece.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For a boundary question with an inserted phrase, test each boundary separately. First decide whether the inserted material is an independent clause or supplementary information; then identify the grammatical structure and logical function of the material that follows it.
Hints
Locate the complete thought
Determine whether the words ending with “repair campaigns” could stand as a complete sentence.
Analyze the inserted phrase
Check whether “each apparently from a different decade” contains a finite verb and can stand as an independent clause.
Examine what follows
Determine whether the words beginning with “in one, conservators replaced” form a complete clause and how they relate to the preceding claim.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the independent clause
The words “These differences point to three distinct repair campaigns” form an independent clause because they express a complete thought.
Punctuate the supplementary phrase
The phrase “each apparently from a different decade” adds information about the campaigns but contains no finite verb. It is therefore supplementary rather than independent, so a comma—not a semicolon—should separate it from the preceding clause.
Connect the explanation
The material beginning with “in one, conservators replaced” forms a complete clause and begins a series explaining the three campaigns. A comma would create a comma splice, whereas a colon can follow the complete preceding clause and introduce this explanation.