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Difficulty: MediumPronoun Clarity and Reference

In 1938, museum curator Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer searched through the catch of a local fishing trawler and found a strange, blue-finned specimen. She immediately wrote to chemist J.L.B. Smith, hoping he could help identify the creature. Before his arrival, however, the museum directors ordered the taxidermist to prepare the fish, and this made the classification process far more difficult.

Which of the following choices is the best replacement for the underlined word in the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. this decisionAnswer
  3. C
    which
  4. D
    they

Answer

Replacing the vague pronoun with the clear noun phrase 'this decision' resolves the reference ambiguity and maintains proper grammatical structure.
The correct answer replaces the vague pronoun with the clear noun phrase 'this decision'. This change specifies the exact antecedent of the action, clarifying that the choice made by the directors is what hindered the classification process.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the underlined pronoun and analyze its referent in the context of the sentence.
The pronoun 'this' is used to refer broadly to the entire preceding action (the museum directors ordering the taxidermist to prepare the fish).
Under ACT English standards, pronouns must refer to a specific noun antecedent rather than an entire clause or action.
2
Evaluate the answer choices to identify a grammatically correct revision that clarifies the reference.
The noun phrase 'this decision' specifies exactly what caused the difficulty. The relative pronoun 'which' combined with 'and' creates an ungrammatical fragment. The plural pronoun 'they' lacks a logical plural antecedent.
Providing a concrete noun resolves the vague pronoun issue without introducing grammatical errors.

Key Concept

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

Pronoun Clarity and Reference

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