Question

read the passage below and answer the question that follows.
hernandez states children who eat at least one meal a day with the family unit are shown to have more stable relationships in adolescence and adulthood
which of the following reflects the proper punctuation of the above sentence?
○ hernandez states, \children who eat at least one meal a day with the family unit are shown to have more stable relationships in adolescence and adulthood.\
○ hernandez states: \children who eat at least one meal a day with the family unit are shown to have more stable relationships in adolescence and adulthood?\
○ \hernandez states,\ children who eat at least one meal a day with the family unit are shown to have more stable relationships in adolescence and adulthood.\
○ \hernandez states … children who eat at least one meal a day with the family unit are shown to have more stable relationships in adolescence and adulthood …\

Explanation:

1. Analyze the original sentence: It's a statement (not a question), so the end punctuation should be a period, not a question mark (eliminating the second option).
2. For direct quotations, we use a comma after "states" to introduce the quote, and the quote itself is enclosed in quotation marks. The third option incorrectly places the quotation marks around "Hernandez states," which is not part of the quoted content. The fourth option uses ellipses unnecessarily as there's no omission or trailing thought; the original sentence is a complete statement.
3. The first option correctly uses a comma after "states" to introduce the direct quote, encloses the quoted statement in quotation marks, and ends with a period (since the quote is a statement).

Answer:

A. Hernandez states, "Children who eat at least one meal a day with the family unit are shown to have more stable relationships in adolescence and adulthood."