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Difficulty: HardPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Complete the sentence below by supplying the pronoun that maintains strict formal pronoun-antecedent agreement. Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence?

Answer:Although several board members initially expressed reservations regarding the restructuring policy, the committee ultimately declared that 【its】 final decision was unanimous.

Answer

its
The collective noun 'committee' functions as a singular antecedent because the context describes a unified, single action ('unanimous decision'). Under standard formal rules of pronoun-antecedent agreement, a collective noun acting as a single body requires the singular neuter possessive pronoun 'its'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent for the missing pronoun.
The antecedent is the collective noun 'committee'.
The clause states that 'the committee ultimately declared that [pronoun] final decision was unanimous', linking the decision directly to the committee.
2
Determine whether the collective noun acts as a single unified unit or as separate individuals.
The committee acts as a single unified unit.
The modifier 'unanimous' shows that the group is operating with one collective voice rather than taking individual, divergent actions.
3
Select the possessive pronoun that agrees in number and gender with a singular collective noun.
The correct singular, neuter possessive pronoun is 'its'.
Collective nouns acting in unison take singular neuter pronouns ('its') rather than plural pronouns ('their') in formal English.

Key Concept

Collective Noun Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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