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Difficulty: HardPronoun Clarity and Reference

In the early 1950s, physical oceanographer Marie Tharp compiled bathymetric profiles collected by her colleague Bruce Heezen. While Heezen gathered sonar data aboard research vessels, Tharp painstakingly plotted these depths by hand to map the ocean floor. <u>He</u> initially dismissed her discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift valley as 'girl talk,' attributing the feature to a temporary measurement error.

Which choice best resolves the pronoun ambiguity and ensures the sentence is grammatically correct?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    They
  3. HeezenAnswer
  4. D
    It was Heezen who

Answer

The option that replaces the underlined pronoun with the specific noun 'Heezen' is correct because it resolves the ambiguous pronoun reference by explicitly naming the individual who dismissed the discovery, while maintaining conciseness.
The correct option replaces the ambiguous pronoun with the proper noun 'Heezen.' This resolves the ambiguity of 'He' by explicitly identifying who dismissed the discovery, maintaining a clear and direct style.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the underlined pronoun 'He'.
The pronoun 'He' could refer to Bruce Heezen, but because of the intervening descriptions of Tharp's work and the lack of immediate proximity, the pronoun's reference is ambiguous.
Pronouns must refer clearly and directly to a single, unambiguous antecedent.
2
Evaluate the choices to find the one that clarifies the subject without violating other grammatical rules.
Replacing 'He' with the specific proper noun 'Heezen' removes all ambiguity. Using 'They' creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error. Using 'It was Heezen who' is grammatically correct but overly wordy.
The correct choice must be grammatically correct, precise, and as concise as possible.

Key Concept

Pronoun Clarity and Reference
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Topics

Pronoun Clarity and Reference

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