The editors of Home Ground: A Guide to the American Landscape turned to the _______ to craft the entry about "krummholz," a term referring to twisted and stunted trees growing near the tree line.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Explanation
Context: "The editors of Home Ground...turned to the essayist William Kittredge to craft the entry about 'krummholz.'" "William Kittredge" is the name of the specific essayist — an essential identifier.
Answer: D) essayist William Kittredge
Why? "William Kittredge" directly follows "essayist" as an essential identifier. No punctuation separates a title from the name identifying the specific person.
Traps:
- A) "essayist, William Kittredge," → commas on both sides create a non-essential appositive — incorrect here
- B) "essayist William Kittredge," → comma after the name incorrectly breaks connection to the infinitive "to craft"
- C) "essayist, William Kittredge" → comma before the name makes it non-essential