Explanation for Question 39 From the Writing Section on the 2017 May Sat
Question 39, ask us to choose the correct punctuation to put between time and 2 the, so the sentence reads because glass is very resistant to weathering Fullbrights 3 last a very long time. The oldest example is estimated to be 250 million 4 years old and give scientists that unique window into the past. 5 So what we have here is a phrase being separated 6 from the main part of the sentence. We know that because we have this 7 dash right here and then this separation right here. 8 So if we did have the semi-colon, 9 um, we'd have a dependent clause afterwards. 10 Um, the sentence wouldn't make sense if it was separate from the first part 11 of the sentence. So we know that that's not the stomach on the punctuation 12 that we should have. So we crossed that out. 13 Um, same line of thinking with B periods and semi-colons are 14 almost the same thing. 15 So we do have that comma and that dash has options. 16 Um, since we have a phrase that's being started here and ending 17 here and it ends with a dash, 18 we know that it has to start with a dash. 19 What's really important here is that we keep the consistency. 20 If this was a calmer right here, 21 we could have a comma here, whatever the matter, 22 um, commas and dashes, a lot of the times are used very similarly, 23 but what's really important is that if you have one, 24 um, dash, you also have to have an hood dash. 25 If you have one call, you have to have another comment. 26 If it's one phrase, it needs to start and end with the same punctuation, 27 and that's going to come up a lot on the sat. 28 It's going to be a common question. So we want to make sure we 29 understand that it's D the dash.