Select the sentence with correct punctuation separating items in a complex series with internal commas.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. The delegates arrived from Cebu City, Cebu; Davao City, Davao del Sur; and Iloilo City, Iloilo.
- Step 1: Semicolons are required to separate list items when individual items already contain internal commas. Step 2. 'Cebu City, Cebu; Davao City, Davao del Sur; and Iloilo City, Iloilo' consistently uses semicolons between city-province pairs. Answer: The delegates arrived from Cebu City, Cebu; Davao City, Davao del Sur; and Iloilo City, Iloilo. Why not the others: the sentence using commas throughout ('Cebu City, Cebu, Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Iloilo City, Iloilo') creates confusion with commas only; the sentence 'Cebu City, Cebu; Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Iloilo City, Iloilo' lacks semicolon before the last item; the sentence 'Cebu City: Cebu; Davao City: Davao del Sur; and Iloilo City: Iloilo' misuses colons.
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