Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardPronoun Clarity and Reference

In 1967, bioacoustician Roger Payne and researcher Scott McVay analyzed the complex vocalizations of humpback whales. They discovered that the marine mammals sing intricate, repeating patterns of sound that can last for hours. Because researchers recorded the whales in different oceans to study their songs, they could be heard echoing across vast underwater distances.

Which choice makes the pronoun reference in the underlined portion clear and precise?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. the vocalizationsAnswer
  3. C
    this
  4. D
    these

Answer

the vocalizations
The correct answer replaces the ambiguous pronoun with the specific noun phrase 'the vocalizations'. In the original sentence, the pronoun 'they' is ambiguous because its potential antecedents include 'researchers', 'whales', and 'oceans'. The intended antecedent, 'songs', is structurally weak because it appears only as a possessive modifier ('their songs'). Replacing the pronoun with 'the vocalizations' completely eliminates this ambiguity and makes the meaning of the sentence clear and precise.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined pronoun and locate its potential antecedents in the sentence.
The underlined pronoun is 'they'. The preceding plural nouns that could grammatically serve as antecedents are 'researchers', 'whales', 'oceans', and the possessive modifier 'songs' (in 'their songs').
Determining the potential nouns the pronoun might refer to is the first step in assessing clarity.
2
Evaluate the clarity and logic of each potential antecedent for the pronoun 'they'.
The pronoun is ambiguous because it could refer to the researchers, the whales, or the oceans. Furthermore, the intended antecedent 'songs' is a weak antecedent because it is functioning as a possessive modifier. It is logically the vocalizations (or songs) that echo, not the researchers or the oceans.
Identifying the logical subject prevents selecting a choice that creates an illogical or ambiguous statement.
3
Compare the options to find the noun phrase that replaces the ambiguous pronoun with a specific, clear noun.
Replacing 'they' with 'the vocalizations' directly names the echoing sounds, removing all ambiguity while maintaining grammatical correctness.
Selecting the option that establishes a clear and precise meaning is required for standard written English.

Key Concept

Pronoun Clarity and Reference
Rate this question

Topics

Pronoun Clarity and Reference

More questions from this topic