SAT OwlChien-Shiung Wu, a ______ conducted a 1956 experiment showing that a basic principle of physics, known as the conservation of parity, does not always hold.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
physicist at Columbia University,
physicist at Columbia University
physicist, at Columbia University,
physicist at Columbia University;
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
"A physicist at Columbia University" is an appositive that describes Wu. It opens with a comma after her name, so it must close with a comma before the verb "conducted." Choice C adds an unneeded comma inside the appositive, splitting "physicist" from "at Columbia University."
Choice C wrongly separates "physicist" from the phrase that tells where she worked.
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