PSAT Writing and Language Question 321: Answer and Explanation

Question: 321

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. placed in
• C. placed; in
• D. placed. In

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Punctuation is changing in the answer choices, so this question is testing STOP, HALF-STOP, and GO punctuation. Notice that (A) has extra words when compared to the other choices, so consider the meaning of this choice. The phrase in any room of the house refers to the monitor, which is already mentioned in the sentence, so there is no need to refer to it again with the pronoun it. Eliminate (A) because it is redundant and uses a comma to connect two complete ideas, which is not correct. Use the Vertical Line Test for the remaining choices and identify the ideas as complete or incomplete. Draw the vertical line between the words placed and in. The first part of the sentence, The video would be transmitted to a monitor that could be placed, is a complete idea. The second part, in any room in the house, is an incomplete idea. To connect a complete idea to an incomplete idea, HALF-STOP or GO punctuation is needed. Keep (B) because a lack of punctuation is GO punctuation. Eliminate (C) and (D) because both the semicolon and the period are STOP punctuation. The correct answer is (B).