SAT OwlDashi, a broth used throughout Japanese cooking, is made from just three ______ water, a dried kelp called kombu, and shavings of dried, smoked fish called katsuobushi.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
ingredients:
ingredients;
ingredients,
ingredients
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The words before the blank form an independent clause that mentions "three ingredients," and the words after list them. A colon correctly introduces a list after an independent clause. A semicolon needs an independent clause after it, and a comma would make the list hard to read because the list items contain commas.
Choice C may seem natural, but a comma does not clearly signal that a list naming the three ingredients is coming, especially since the items contain their own commas.
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.