6. what is the first step in the six-step process for preparing a speech?
oa practicing your speech
ob determining the purpose of your speech
oc. gathering information for your speech
od. selecting an appropriate topic

For the first question, item D is correct because you'll need to place a comma before and after parenthetical elements:  "The​ beach, which closes after Labor​ Day, has white sand."

For the second question, item D is correct because commas are only needed for a series of three or more elements; thus, no commas are needed:  "I bought a beautiful pitcher and eight glasses."

For the third question, there are no commas needed; thus, item A is the correct sentence:  "The music made me sleepy."

For the fourth question, item C is the correct response because commas are needed after subordinate clauses that begin a sentence:  "As the band marched across the​ field, the crowd cheered."

For the fifth question, item D is the correct response because in order to keep from having a run-on sentence a comma is always needed before a conjunction that is connecting two complete sentences: "He works long​ hours, yet he keeps up with his studies."