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Difficulty: MediumPronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

While the class of marine organisms known as cephalopods possesses advanced problem-solving skills, ______ evolutionary history remains poorly understood due to a lack of fossilized remains.

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

  1. A
    their
  2. itsAnswer
  3. C
    it's
  4. D
    they're

Answer

its
The singular possessive pronoun 'its' correctly refers back to the singular collective noun antecedent 'class' and modifies 'evolutionary history'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the pronoun needed to modify 'evolutionary history'.
The antecedent is the singular noun phrase 'the class', not the plural noun 'cephalopods'.
The singular verb 'possesses' in the dependent clause confirms that 'the class' is the grammatical subject and antecedent.
2
Determine the correct grammatical number and case for the pronoun.
A singular possessive pronoun is required.
The pronoun must be singular to agree with 'class' and possessive to modify 'evolutionary history'.
3
Select the option that is singular, possessive, and spelled correctly without an apostrophe.
'its' is chosen over 'their', 'it's', and 'they're'.
'its' is the singular possessive pronoun, whereas 'it's' is a contraction of 'it is'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case
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Topics

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

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