Marine biologist Dr. Elena Rodriguez conducts most of her ocean research using direct observation methods aboard research vessels. To track...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• Marine biologist Dr. Elena Rodriguez
  • conducts most of her ocean research
    • using direct observation methods
      • aboard research vessels.

• To track the complex routes
  • that humpback whales follow
    • during their annual journeys (?) however (?)
• she relies on satellite tagging technology
  • combined with acoustic monitoring systems.

Understanding the Meaning

The first sentence tells us about Dr. Rodriguez's usual research approach:

• Marine biologist Dr. Elena Rodriguez conducts most of her ocean research using direct observation methods aboard research vessels.
  • She typically does her ocean research by directly observing from boats.

Now the second sentence starts with a specific purpose:

• "To track the complex routes that humpback whales follow during their annual journeys..."
  • This is telling us about a particular task - tracking the routes whales take during migration.
  • This is an introductory phrase that's setting up WHY she does what comes next.

This is where we have the blank with "however."

Let's look at the choices - they're asking us to decide on the punctuation before and after "however":

• A) journeys, however (comma before, nothing after)
• B) journeys; however, (semicolon before, comma after)
• C) journeys, however, (commas on both sides)
• D) journeys; however (semicolon before, nothing after)

To see what works here, let's read the rest of the sentence and understand what it's saying!

The sentence continues:

• "she relies on satellite tagging technology combined with acoustic monitoring systems."
  • For this specific task (tracking whale routes), she uses different technology - satellites and acoustic monitors.

So the complete picture is:

• Usually she does direct observation from boats (first sentence)
• BUT for tracking whale migration routes, she uses satellite and acoustic technology instead (second sentence)
• "However" is showing this contrast between her usual method and this different approach

What do we notice about the structure here?

Let's check what kind of parts "however" is appearing between:

• Before "however": "To track the complex routes that humpback whales follow during their annual journeys"
  • This starts with "To track" - can this stand alone as a complete sentence?
  • No - it's an introductory phrase telling us the PURPOSE
  • It's not a complete thought by itself

• After "however": "she relies on satellite tagging technology combined with acoustic monitoring systems"
  • This has "she relies" - subject and verb
  • This IS a complete thought that could stand alone

So we have:

• An introductory phrase (not complete)
• Then "however"
• Then the main complete thought

Since what comes before "however" is NOT a complete sentence on its own, "however" is working as an interrupter within the sentence - it's inserted to show the contrast.

When a word like "however" acts as an interrupter within a sentence (rather than connecting two complete sentences), it needs commas on BOTH sides to set it off.

The correct answer is C: journeys, however,

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Punctuating Transitional Words Like "However" Within Sentences

The word "however" and similar transitional words need different punctuation depending on what they're connecting:

When "however" appears within a sentence (after something that's NOT a complete sentence):

• Use commas on BOTH sides
• Pattern: [Introductory phrase], however, [main complete thought]
• Example from question: "To track the complex routes that humpback whales follow during their annual journeys, however, she relies on satellite tagging technology..."
• "To track..." = introductory phrase (not complete)
• "however" = interrupter showing contrast
• "she relies..." = main clause (complete)

When "however" connects two independent clauses (both parts ARE complete sentences):

• Use semicolon before and comma after
• Pattern: [Complete sentence]; however, [complete sentence]
• Example: "She usually uses direct observation; however, she uses satellites for tracking migration."
• Both parts before and after "however" could stand alone
• The semicolon joins the two complete thoughts

The key question to ask: Can what comes BEFORE "however" stand alone as a complete sentence?

• If NO → use commas on both sides (it's within the sentence)
• If YES → use semicolon before, comma after (it's connecting two sentences)

In this question, "To track the complex routes..." cannot stand alone, so we need commas on both sides: journeys, however,