Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardPronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

Although the behavior of an individual slime mold cell is relatively simple, a dispersed colony of these single-celled organisms, when searching for nutrient sources in dense forest undergrowth, displays a highly sophisticated collective intelligence that effectively allows _______ to navigate complex spatial obstacles and find the shortest path to food without any central leader.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A
    them
  2. B
    they
  3. itAnswer
  4. D
    their

Answer

The pronoun 'it' is correct because it agrees in number with the singular collective noun antecedent 'colony' and fits the objective case requirement.
The pronoun refers to the singular collective noun 'colony,' which is the antecedent. Although the plural noun 'organisms' is closer to the blank, it is part of the prepositional phrase 'of these single-celled organisms' modifying the main subject. Therefore, the singular pronoun 'it' is required to agree in number with the singular antecedent 'colony.' Additionally, 'it' is in the objective case, which correctly functions as the object of the verb 'allows.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the pronoun that needs to fill the blank.
The antecedent is the singular collective noun 'colony' (specifically 'a dispersed colony of these single-celled organisms').
Identifying the antecedent determines the required grammatical number (singular or plural) of the pronoun.
2
Identify and ignore intervening phrases that might distract from the true antecedent.
The prepositional phrase 'of these single-celled organisms' contains a plural noun, and the adverbial clause 'when searching for nutrient sources in dense forest undergrowth' is also intervening, but the main subject and true antecedent remains the singular noun 'colony.'
Intervening elements often contain plural nouns that can trick the reader into using a plural pronoun.
3
Determine the required grammatical case of the pronoun based on its role in the sentence.
The pronoun acts as the object of the verb 'allows,' which requires an objective case pronoun.
The pronoun must function correctly within the sentence structure (subject vs. object).
4
Evaluate the choices to find the singular objective pronoun.
Only 'it' is singular and in the objective case. The other options are either plural or possessive.
Selecting 'it' ensures grammatical correctness under Standard English conventions.

Key Concept

Pronoun-antecedent agreement in number requires a pronoun to match its antecedent's grammatical number, even when separated by intervening modifying phrases or clauses.
Rate this question

Topics

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

More questions from this topic