diff --git a/collects/framework/private/color.rkt b/collects/framework/private/color.rkt
index 5066dfa097..29a082cef2 100644
--- a/collects/framework/private/color.rkt
+++ b/collects/framework/private/color.rkt
@@ -1078,7 +1078,7 @@ added get-regions
         [(memq token '(string comment error)) #f]
         [(or (= a pos) (= b pos))
          (define raw-bcs (backward-containing-sexp pos 0))
-         (define bcs (skip-whitespace raw-bcs 'backward #t))
+         (define bcs (and raw-bcs (skip-whitespace raw-bcs 'backward #t)))
          (cond
            [(and bcs (> bcs 0))
             (define a (assoc (string->symbol (string (get-character (- bcs 1))))
diff --git a/collects/tests/framework/racket.rkt b/collects/tests/framework/racket.rkt
index 0cd2376a01..28f805d77e 100644
--- a/collects/tests/framework/racket.rkt
+++ b/collects/tests/framework/racket.rkt
@@ -342,6 +342,12 @@
                            '(["[()\")" "" "\""]
                              ["[()\")" "" "\""]))
 
+(test-parens-behavior/full 'close-adjusts-properly-when-no-containing-sexp
+                           ")" "" ""
+                           #\]
+                           '([")]" "" ""]
+                             [")]" "" ""]))
+
 #| for these, the key-event with meta-down doesn't seem to work... maybe a Mac OS
   issue; and may cause problems with these tests on another platform? .nah. |#
 (when (equal? 'macosx (system-type))