Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon to separate items in a complex list?

Which sentence correctly uses a semicolon to separate items in a complex list?

• A. The conference had attendees from Paris France; Berlin Germany; Tokyo Japan.
• B. The conference had attendees from Paris, France; Berlin and Germany; and Tokyo Japan.
• C. The conference had attendees from Paris, France; Berlin Germany; Tokyo Japan.
• D. The conference had attendees from Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan.

Answer: (D)

When items in a list already contain commas, semicolons are used to separate the items so each item stays clear. Here, each destination is given as city, country, and that internal comma would clash with simple comma separation. Using semicolons between the three destinations—Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; and Tokyo, Japan—keeps each item distinct and prevents confusion. The final item includes an Oxford comma before "and," which adds one more moment of clarity before the last item.

Other options rely on just commas to separate items or mix in conjunctions inside an item, which makes the list harder to read or ambiguous because the internal comma within each item clashes with the list separators. Hence, the semicolon-separated structure is the correct choice.