SAT English Practice Question

The use of commas is essential for clarity in writing, and it can be confusing to know when they are required. For example, consider the following two sentences: "She went to the store. She bought bread." These two sentences are completely independent, and they can be joined by a comma and a conjunction or by a semicolon. However, if we rewrite the sentences so that the subject of the second sentence is a pronoun, then the rules for punctuation are slightly different. For example, consider the following two sentences: "She went to the store. She bought it." In this case, the second sentence is dependent on the first, and it cannot be joined with a comma and a conjunction or with a semicolon alone. Instead, we can join the sentences with a comma or we can make the second sentence a dependent clause. Which of the following sentences illustrates a rule for punctuation in the first example?

1. A.She went to the store, and she bought bread.
2. B.She went to the store; she bought bread.
3. C.She went to the store, but she bought bread.
4. D.She went to the store; bread was what she bought.