SAT Reading & Writing · Boundaries
The vineyard's harvest depends on a delicate balance ______ too much rain rots the grapes, and too little leaves them underdeveloped.
The vineyard's harvest depends on a delicate balance ______ too much rain rots the grapes, and too little leaves them underdeveloped.
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: B: :
"Too much rain rots the grapes, and too little leaves them underdeveloped" explains what the "delicate balance" actually consists of, functioning as an elaboration of the preceding complete statement, which is exactly the job a colon performs. A comma would treat this substantial explanatory content as a minor aside instead of a formal elaboration of the balance just mentioned. Both "and" and "or" would need a comma before them to properly join two independent clauses, and neither captures the explanatory relationship a colon signals here as precisely.
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