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Difficulty: Very hardPronoun Clarity and Reference

The following passage is an excerpt from an essay about agricultural history.

In the early twentieth century, the development of the Haber-Bosch process revolutionized agriculture by enabling the synthesis of ammonia from atmospheric nitrogen. Farmers could now produce synthetic fertilizers on an unprecedented scale, significantly increasing crop yields worldwide. However, it also led to severe environmental consequences, such as the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems due to agricultural runoff.

Which of the following options best replaces the underlined word to ensure the sentence is clear and precise?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    they
  3. C
    which
  4. the intensive use of these fertilizersAnswer

Answer

the intensive use of these fertilizers
The correct option replaces the vague pronoun with the specific noun phrase 'the intensive use of these fertilizers.' This resolves the ambiguity of the pronoun by clearly identifying the subject that led to the environmental consequences described in the sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined pronoun in the context of the passage.
The pronoun is the singular 'it' in the third sentence.
To determine if the pronoun is clear and has a specific antecedent.
2
Identify the potential antecedents in the preceding sentences.
Multiple singular nouns exist (such as 'development', 'Haber-Bosch process', 'synthesis', 'ammonia', 'nitrogen', and 'scale'), creating a vague or remote antecedent for 'it'.
Having multiple potential antecedents creates pronoun ambiguity, which is grammatically incorrect in standard English.
3
Evaluate the alternatives for grammatical correctness and clarity.
The pronoun 'they' lacks a plural antecedent and is logically incorrect. The relative pronoun 'which' creates a sentence fragment. The phrase 'the intensive use of these fertilizers' resolves the ambiguity and is grammatically correct.
To find the phrasing that is both grammatically correct and logically precise.

Key Concept

Pronoun Clarity and Reference
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Pronoun Clarity and Reference

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