Boundaries: Punctuation and Sentence Structure

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 4/5

The dedication of her thesis read, "To my advisors, Marie Curie ______ and Albert Einstein," prompting a colleague to ask which family she came from.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  • A

  • B

    (empty)

  • C

    ,

    check_circle
  • D

    ;

Explanation

Without the Oxford comma, "Marie Curie and Albert Einstein" reads as an appositive identifying her advisors. The comma keeps the three items distinct (her advisors, plus Curie, plus Einstein).

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