SAT OwlMost desert plants survive dry periods by storing water in their tissues or by growing deep roots. The resurrection plant ______ survives by drying out almost completely and then reviving within hours of a rainfall.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
, however,
however
, however;
; however,
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Here "however" interrupts a single independent clause, "The resurrection plant survives...." A word that interrupts a clause is set off by a pair of commas. Semicolons would wrongly split the subject "The resurrection plant" from its verb "survives."
Choice D is how "however" is punctuated between two independent clauses, but here it sits inside one clause, between the subject and the verb.
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