SAT OwlMany bats hunt insects using ______ others, such as some fruit bats, rely mainly on their keen eyesight and sense of smell to find food.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
echolocation,
echolocation
echolocation;
echolocation: while
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
"Many bats hunt insects using echolocation" and "others ... rely mainly on their keen eyesight" are both independent clauses. A semicolon correctly joins them. A comma creates a comma splice, and no punctuation creates a run-on.
Choice A creates a comma splice; the commas around "such as some fruit bats" don't change the fact that two independent clauses are being joined.
Got it wrong? On SAT Owl, Owl looks at the answer you chose and explains the exact mistake, then gives you similar questions until it sticks. Get your predicted SAT score free.