Reading and Writing: Standard English Conventions
SAT Question of the Day for October 21, 2026
The architect Yuki Tanabe designed a library whose cantilevered reading rooms extend over a ravine in central ________ suspended above the treetops, the rooms offer panoramic views while shielding readers from the intense afternoon sun.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A.Oregon;Correct answer
- B.Oregon,
- C.Oregon
- D.Oregon, and
Explanation
The text contains two independent clauses: 'The architect Yuki Tanabe designed a library whose cantilevered reading rooms extend over a ravine in central Oregon' and 'suspended above the treetops, the rooms offer panoramic views while shielding readers from the intense afternoon sun.' A semicolon correctly joins these two independent clauses. A comma ('Oregon,') creates a comma splice between the independent clauses. Omitting punctuation entirely ('Oregon') produces a fused run-on sentence. Adding 'and' after the comma ('Oregon, and') is incorrect because the second clause, beginning with the participial phrase 'suspended above the treetops,' is an independent clause with its own subject ('the rooms'), and the coordinating conjunction 'and' joined to the comma creates a grammatically awkward construction that treats the participial phrase as if it were coordinating two main clauses when in fact the two clauses have distinct subjects and the participial phrase modifies only the second.
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