SAT OwlWangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmental activist who founded the Green Belt ______ became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. The organization she started has planted tens of millions of trees across Kenya.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Movement
Movement,
Movement;
Movement:
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The phrase "the Kenyan environmental activist who founded the Green Belt Movement" describes Maathai and opens with a comma after her name. It must close with a comma before the main verb "became."
Choice A leaves the descriptive phrase unclosed, which runs it directly into the main verb.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This option leaves the nonrestrictive appositive phrase unclosed, causing it to run directly into the main verb without the required closing comma.
- C. A semicolon is incorrect here because it separates two parts of a single sentence rather than two independent clauses, and it fails to close the appositive phrase.
- D. A colon is inappropriate because it does not close a nonrestrictive appositive phrase. The phrase requires a comma to separate it from the main verb.
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