In 1943, in the midst of World War II, mathematics professor Grace Hopper was recruited by the US military to help the war
effort by solving complex equations. Hopper’s subsequent career would involve more than just ______ as a pioneering
computer programmer, Hopper would help usher in the digital age.
equations, though:
equations, though,
equations. Though,
equations though
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of punctuation to mark boundaries between
supplements and clauses. The comma after “equations” is used to separate the independent clause (“Hopper’s…equation”)
from the supplementary adverb phrase “though.” The colon after “though” is used to mark the boundary between the clause
ending with “though” and the following clause (“as…age”). A colon used in this way introduces information that illustrates or
explains information that has come before it. In this case, the colon after “though” introduces the following explanation of
how Hopper’s subsequent career would involve more than just solving equations: she would become a pioneering computer
programmer.
Choice B is incorrect because it results in a comma splice. A comma can’t be used in this way to join two independent
clauses (“Hopper’s…though” and “as…age”) such as these. Choice C is incorrect because it results in an illogical sequence of
sentences. Placing the period after “equations” and beginning the next sentence with “Though” illogically suggests that the
following information (that Hopper would help usher in the digital age) is contrary to the information in the previous
sentence (Hopper’s subsequent career would involve more than just solving equations). Instead, the information that follows
supports the information from the previous sentence by explaining how her work and inﬂuence extended beyond solely
solving equations. Choice D is incorrect because it results in a run-on sentence. The two independent clauses (“Hopper’s…
though” and “as…age”) are fused without punctuation.