SAT Reading & Writing · Boundaries
The orchestra's conductor insisted on a full dress rehearsal ______ every musician had already performed the piece dozens of times in…
The orchestra's conductor insisted on a full dress rehearsal ______ every musician had already performed the piece dozens of times in smaller sectional rehearsals.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: even though
"Even though every musician had already performed the piece dozens of times in smaller sectional rehearsals" is a dependent clause explaining a contrast, and it follows the main clause it modifies at the end of the sentence. When a subordinating conjunction like "even though" introduces a clause at the end of a sentence this way, no comma is needed before it. A and B both incorrectly insert a comma before this end-of-sentence dependent clause. D swaps in "despite," a preposition that would need to be followed by a noun phrase, not a full clause with its own subject and verb like "every musician had already performed."
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