SAT OwlEmperor penguins breed during the harsh Antarctic ______ the males keep the eggs warm on their feet for about two months while the females feed at sea.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
winter,
winter, and
winter
winter and,
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The sentence joins two independent clauses. A comma followed by the coordinating conjunction "and" joins them correctly. A comma alone creates a comma splice, no punctuation creates a run-on, and choice D puts the comma in the wrong place.
Choice A creates a comma splice, joining two complete clauses with only a comma.
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