Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A
themselves;
B
themselves,
C
themselves. And
D
themselves
Explanation
Correct answer: B.
Choice B is the best answer. The convention being tested is the punctuation of items in a series. The comma after “themselves” is used conventionally to separate the first item (“they can clone themselves”) and the second item (“enter a dormant state in times of drought”) in the series of things mosses can do.
Why the other choices are wrong
Choice A
Choice A is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to separate items in a simple series such as this.
Choice C
Choice C is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with “And enter.”
Choice D
Choice D is incorrect because it fails to use appropriate punctuation to separate the first and second items in the series.