PSAT Writing and Language Question 270: Answer and Explanation

Question: 270

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. man he
• C. man, he
• D. man—he

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

Difficulty: Easy

Getting to the Answer: As written, the colon is used improperly: a colon can follow an independent clause only. Eliminate (A). The words before the punctuation mark, "A practical man," form an introductory phrase. An introductory phrase should be followed by a comma, so (C) is correct. (B) is incorrect because it runs the phrases together, and the use of the dash in (D) is incorrect for the same reason as is the colon in (A).