sat suite question viewer
Philosopher Peter Kivy was a leading figure in musical blank evidenced by his belief that instead of evoking particular emotions, such as sadness or joy, compositions elicit a listener’s emotional response to the structure and artistry of the music itself, Kivy’s approach to the study of music was decidedly formalist.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Explanation
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is punctuation use between sentences. In this choice, the period is used correctly to mark the boundary between one sentence ("Philosopher...aesthetics") and another ("As...formalist"). The long adverbial element "as evidenced...itself" modifies the content in the following clause to support the claim that Kivy’s approach was formalist.
Choice A is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The sentences ("Philosopher...aesthetics" and "As…formalist") are fused without punctuation and/or a conjunction. Choice B is incorrect. Without a comma preceding it, the conjunction "and" can’t be used in this way to join sentences. Choice C is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to mark the boundary between sentences.