The term 'retroflex' derives from Latin and means 'bent back,' an apt descriptor for the branch of consonants—retroflex consonants—pronounced with...

SOLUTION

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

• The term 'retroflex' derives from Latin and means 'bent back,'
  • an apt descriptor for the branch of consonants—retroflex consonants—
    • pronounced with the tongue curling up and back in the mouth.
• In many languages,
  • including English,
• these consonants are rare [?]
• in some dialects of Mandarin,
  • however,
• four such consonants ('ch,' 'sh,' 'zh,' and 'r') are relatively common.

Understanding the Meaning

The first sentence gives us background information:

• 'Retroflex' comes from Latin meaning 'bent back'
• This describes consonants (retroflex consonants) that you pronounce by curling your tongue up and back in your mouth

Now the second sentence tells us about how common these consonants are:

• "In many languages, including English, these consonants are _____"

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

• Choice A: rare and
• Choice B: rare,
• Choice C: rare
• Choice D: rare;

We're deciding what punctuation (if any) should follow "rare."

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

The sentence continues:

• "in some dialects of Mandarin, however, four such consonants ('ch,' 'sh,' 'zh,' and 'r') are relatively common."

Now let's understand what this complete sentence is telling us:

• First part: "In many languages, including English, these consonants are rare"
  • This is saying retroflex consonants are uncommon in most languages
  • It gives English as an example
• Second part: "in some dialects of Mandarin, however, four such consonants ('ch,' 'sh,' 'zh,' and 'r') are relatively common"
  • This presents a contrast - in Mandarin dialects, these consonants ARE common
  • The word "however" signals this contrast
  • It even lists which four consonants

What do we notice about the structure here?

• Look at the first part: "In many languages, including English, these consonants are rare"
  • Subject: "these consonants"
  • Verb: "are"
  • This is a complete thought - it could stand alone as its own sentence
• Look at the second part: "in some dialects of Mandarin, however, four such consonants are relatively common"
  • Subject: "four such consonants"
  • Verb: "are"
  • This is also a complete thought - it could stand alone too

So we have:

• Two complete thoughts that could each be their own sentences
• They're closely related in meaning (both about how common these consonants are)
• They present contrasting information (rare vs. common)

When we have two complete thoughts like this, we can't just stick them together with a comma or no punctuation - that creates a grammar error. We need strong punctuation to properly connect them.

The correct answer is D: rare;

A semicolon is the right punctuation to join two complete thoughts that are closely related. It's perfect here because both parts are talking about the same topic (frequency of retroflex consonants) but presenting contrasting information.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Joining Two Complete Thoughts with a Semicolon

When you have two complete thoughts (called independent clauses in grammar terms) that are closely related in meaning, you have several options for connecting them properly:

Option 1: Semicolon

• First complete thought; second complete thought.
• Example: The weather was terrible; we decided to stay home.
• In our question: "these consonants are rare; in some dialects of Mandarin, however, four such consonants are relatively common"

Option 2: Period (make separate sentences)

• First complete thought. Second complete thought.
• Example: The weather was terrible. We decided to stay home.

Option 3: Comma + coordinating conjunction

• First complete thought, and/but/or/so second complete thought.
• Example: The weather was terrible, so we decided to stay home.

What you CANNOT do:

• Use a comma alone → creates a comma splice error
• Use no punctuation → creates a run-on sentence error

Why the semicolon works best in this question:

1. The two thoughts are closely related (both about frequency of these consonants)
2. They present a contrast (rare in most languages vs. common in Mandarin)
3. The second clause already has "however" as a transition word, so we don't need to add "but"
4. The semicolon elegantly connects these contrasting ideas while keeping them as one cohesive sentence