PSAT Writing : Correcting Quotation Mark Errors

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #2 : Correcting Punctuation Errors: Other Punctuation

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.

"Don't be scared, Anna" he insisted. "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

Possible Answers:

"Don't be scared, Anna." he insisted, "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

"Don't be scared, Anna" he insisted, "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

"Don't be scared, Anna," he insisted. "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

"Don't be scared, Anna" he insisted "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

"Don't be scared, Anna" he insisted. "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

Correct answer:

"Don't be scared, Anna," he insisted. "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

Explanation:

"Don't be scared, Anna," he insisted. "The bears can't hurt you from behind that glass."

The choice above is correct. It is the only one that properly connects quotation with the rest of the sentence. In this case, a comma is required to separate the quote; a period is not acceptable because of the lowercase "h" in "he". A period after "insisted" is required to separate the two complete sentences.

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