Between the two independent clauses, which punctuation should fill the blank in the sentence Reading books makes me happy __ Reading in the morning fills me with a joy that illuminates my entire day?

• A. Colon
• B. Dash
• C. Comma
• D. Semicolon

Answer: (A)

The main idea is using punctuation to introduce an explanation or illustration after a complete thought. A colon works here because the second clause explains what specifically about reading makes the speaker happy, acting as an elaboration of the first statement.

So the sentence reads smoothly as: Reading books makes me happy: Reading in the morning fills me with a joy that illuminates my entire day. The colon signals that the second part is elaborating on the first.

A dash could be used for emphasis, but a colon provides a clearer, more formal link that explains or illustrates the first clause. A semicolon would simply join two related independent clauses without that explanatory cue, and a comma would create a run-on error between two independent clauses.