SAT Reading and Writing Practice Test: Boundaries (Punctuation)
- Boundaries: Punctuation
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These 10 questions practice Boundaries, the punctuation part of Standard English Conventions on the digital SAT. Find the subject and verb on each side of the blank: two complete sentences need a period, a semicolon or a comma with and, but or so.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
The coral reef surveyed by the divers stretched for nearly two kilometers along the island's eastern ______ of it was in good health.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: C
Both parts are complete sentences, so a semicolon can join them. A comma alone creates a comma splice, and no punctuation creates a run-on sentence.
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Question 2
The bakery's best-selling bread is made with three kinds of ______ wheat, rye and spelt.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: A
A colon after a complete sentence can introduce a list that explains it. A semicolon must join two complete sentences, and "wheat, rye and spelt" is not one.
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Question 3
The chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge fell ill early in its construction. His wife, Emily Warren ______ helped oversee the project for years.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: D
The name is extra information set off after "His wife," so it needs a comma on both sides, and the second comma goes after "Roebling." Without it, the opening comma has no partner.
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Question 4
Because heavy rain had flooded the main ______ delivery trucks took a longer route through the hills.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: A
The "Because" clause cannot stand alone, so it is joined to the main sentence with a comma. A semicolon or period would leave "Because heavy rain had flooded the main road" as a fragment.
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Question 5
The first prototype failed every safety ______ the second passed all of them on its first attempt.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: B
"However" is not a conjunction, so the two complete sentences need a semicolon before it, and a comma follows it. Using only commas creates a comma splice.
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Question 6
The Atacama Desert, which lies mainly in northern ______ one of the driest places on Earth.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: B
The clause "which lies mainly in northern Chile" is extra information that opens with a comma, so it must close with a comma before the verb "is." A semicolon or colon cannot separate a subject from its verb.
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Question 7
The students who volunteered at the community garden last ______ more than 200 kilograms of vegetables for a local food bank.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: D
The subject "The students who volunteered at the community garden last summer" leads straight into the verb "harvested," and no punctuation belongs between a subject and its verb. The clause "who volunteered..." is essential because it tells which students.
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Question 8
The town's answer to its parking problem was ______ shuttle bus that runs every ten minutes from a large lot at the edge of town.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: C
A colon can follow a complete sentence to introduce an explanation, here what the simple answer was. A semicolon or period would leave "A shuttle bus that runs..." as a fragment.
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Question 9
Rice paddies need large amounts of ______ farmers in dry regions often build canals to carry river water to their fields.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: C
Two complete sentences joined by the conjunction "so" need a comma before the conjunction and none after it. Without the comma, the sentence is a run-on.
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Question 10
The summer tour stops in Lyon, ______ Porto, Portugal; and Turin, Italy.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct answer: B
Because each item already contains a comma (city, country), the items are separated with semicolons, as after "Portugal." A comma after "France" would make it unclear where one item ends.
Questions you leave blank are not counted as wrong.
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