SAT OwlAustrian-Swedish physicist Lise Meitner helped explain one of the most important scientific discoveries of the twentieth ______ nuclear fission, the splitting of an atom's nucleus.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
century;
century
century, it was
century:
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
The first part is an independent clause that refers to "one of the most important scientific discoveries," and the words after the blank name that discovery. A colon correctly introduces an explanation or example after an independent clause. A semicolon would need an independent clause after it, and "nuclear fission" is just a noun phrase.
Choice A uses a semicolon, but what follows the blank is not an independent clause.
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.