PSAT Writing and Language Question 11: Answer and Explanation

Question: 11

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. novel:
• C. novel—
• D. novel,

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

Punctuation changes in the answer choices, so this question tests STOP, HALF-STOP, and GO punctuation. Use the Vertical Line Test and identify the ideas as complete or incomplete. Draw the vertical line between the words novel and The. The first part of the sentence, His first novel The Free World, is an incomplete idea. The second part, was published in 2011 to great critical acclaim, is also an incomplete idea. To connect two incomplete ideas, GO punctuation is needed. Eliminate (B) and (C) because both colons and long dashes are HALF-STOP punctuation. Compare (A) and (D), since both no punctuation and commas are GO punctuation. The phrase The Free World is unnecessary information, so it should have commas both before and after it. Eliminate (A) because it lacks a comma before the phrase. Choice (D) appropriately places commas both before and after the unnecessary phrase. The correct answer is (D).