After the United Kingdom began rolling out taxes equivalent to a few cents on single-use plastic grocery bags in 2011, plastic-bag consumption decreased by up to ninety ______taxes are subject to what economists call the “rebound effect”: as the change became normalized, plastic-bag use started to creep back up.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Explanation
Context: The sentence has two independent clauses: "plastic-bag consumption decreased by up to ninety percent" and "Such taxes are subject to what economists call the 'rebound effect.'" A period separates them, with the second clause beginning with "Such."
Answer: C) percent. Such
Why? A period correctly separates two independent clauses. The second sentence begins with "Such taxes" — referring back to the taxes mentioned — and introduces a new independent thought about the rebound effect.
Traps:
- A) percent, such → comma splice; two independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone
- B) percent and such → "and" is a coordinating conjunction but needs a comma before it ("percent, and such"); without the comma it's a run-on
- D) percent such → run-on; no punctuation or conjunction between the two independent clauses