PSAT Writing and Language Question 276: Answer and Explanation

Question: 276

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. protection, the
• C. protection—the
• D. protection; the

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Difficulty: Medium

Getting to the Answer: This sentence begins with a subordinating clause ("Since the layers... protection"). Because this clause is not a complete thought, it is a dependent clause that must be joined to the rest of the sentence with a comma, so (B) is correct. (A) runs the clauses together, while (C) and (D) punctuate the sentence as though it consisted of two independent clauses.