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Difficulty: HardPronoun Clarity and Reference

In 1918, during the final months of World War I, German physicist Max Planck received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of energy quanta. His colleague Albert Einstein had nominated Planck years earlier, citing his pioneering work on blackbody radiation. Because [he] had long been recognized as a leader in the scientific community, the announcement was met with widespread celebration.

Which choice best replaces the bracketed pronoun to ensure the sentence is clear and grammatically correct?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. PlanckAnswer
  3. C
    this
  4. D
    him

Answer

Planck
Replacing the pronoun with the specific noun 'Planck' is correct because it resolves the ambiguity created by having two male subjects (Max Planck and Albert Einstein) in the preceding sentences, making it clear who was recognized as a leader.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined pronoun and its potential antecedents in the preceding sentences.
The pronoun is 'he'. The potential antecedents are 'Max Planck' and 'Albert Einstein'.
Determining if a pronoun has multiple possible referents is the first step in assessing pronoun clarity.
2
Evaluate whether the pronoun 'he' clearly points to a single antecedent.
Because both Planck and Einstein are singular male nouns mentioned in the context, 'he' is ambiguous.
Ambiguous pronoun reference is a grammatical error on the ACT; the sentence must clarify which person is being discussed.
3
Select the option that replaces the pronoun with a specific noun to resolve the ambiguity.
Replacing 'he' with 'Planck' makes the sentence clear and precise.
Using the specific noun is the standard way to correct an ambiguous pronoun reference.

Key Concept

Pronoun Clarity and Reference
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Topics

Pronoun Clarity and Reference

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