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Question

Difficulty: EasyPronoun Clarity and Reference

Consider the following passage:

In the early twentieth century, the curators of the art museum decided to display several new sculptures alongside the classic paintings. Visitors admired the contrast between the modern style of the sculptures and the traditional techniques of the paintings. However, they required frequent cleaning due to the delicate materials used in their construction.

Which choice is the best replacement for the underlined pronoun in the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. the sculpturesAnswer
  3. C
    it
  4. D
    them

Answer

Replacing the pronoun with the specific noun phrase 'the sculptures' is the correct choice because it resolves the ambiguous pronoun reference.
Replacing the pronoun with the specific noun phrase 'the sculptures' is correct because it resolves the ambiguity of the pronoun. In the context of the passage, it is unclear whether 'they' refers to the sculptures or the paintings. Naming 'the sculptures' directly removes all ambiguity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined pronoun and its potential antecedents in the passage.
The underlined pronoun is 'they'. The preceding sentences contain several plural nouns that could serve as antecedents: 'curators', 'sculptures', 'paintings', and 'visitors'.
To ensure clarity, a pronoun must refer to one clear, unambiguous antecedent.
2
Evaluate the choices to determine which one resolves the ambiguity without introducing new grammatical errors.
Replacing 'they' with 'the sculptures' specifies exactly which items required cleaning. The pronoun 'it' lacks a logical singular antecedent, and 'them' is in the wrong case (objective instead of subjective).
Specifying the noun directly is the standard and correct way to fix an ambiguous pronoun reference.

Key Concept

Pronoun Clarity and Reference
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Topics

Pronoun Clarity and Reference

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