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Question

Difficulty: MediumConjunctions and Clause Structure

Read the sentence below:

'The board interviewed three international experts, the most qualified of _____ was selected to direct the research institute.'

Which of the following words correctly completes the relative clause structure?

  1. whomAnswer
  2. B
    who
  3. C
    which
  4. D
    that

Answer

whom
The word 'whom' is the objective case relative pronoun required when introducing a relative clause after a preposition ('of') referring back to human antecedents ('international experts').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the role of the antecedent in the clause.
The antecedent is 'international experts', which refers to human beings.
Relative pronouns must agree in human vs. non-human reference with their antecedents.
2
Examine the grammatical position following the preposition 'of'.
The pronoun follows the preposition 'of' ('the most qualified of _____').
Prepositions govern objective case pronouns (e.g., of whom, to whom, with whom).
3
Select the relative pronoun that satisfies both human reference and objective case requirements.
'Whom' is the correct objective relative pronoun for human antecedents following a preposition.
'Who' is subject case, 'which' is non-human, and 'that' cannot follow a preposition directly in relative clauses.

Key Concept

Relative Clause Structure and Prepositional Object Pronouns
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Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

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