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Difficulty: MediumPronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

Although the board of directors, which consists of highly experienced representatives from five international technology subsidiaries, meets quarterly in Geneva to review the company's annual financial performance, _______ must ultimately seek shareholder approval before initiating any major corporate acquisitions or significant structural changes.

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

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

Answer

The correct option is the pronoun 'it' because it is singular and in the subjective case, properly agreeing with the singular collective noun 'board' and functioning as the subject of the verb phrase.
The pronoun 'it' is singular and in the subjective case. It correctly agrees with the singular collective noun 'board' (the head of the noun phrase 'the board of directors') and functions as the subject of the clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the pronoun that needs to fill the blank.
The antecedent is the noun phrase 'the board of directors'. The head noun of this phrase is 'board', which is a singular collective noun.
Determining the correct head noun is necessary to establish pronoun-antecedent agreement in number.
2
Determine the grammatical case required for the pronoun in the blank.
The blank functions as the subject of the verb phrase 'must ultimately seek'. Therefore, a subjective case pronoun is required.
Grammatical case must match the pronoun's syntactic role in the clause.
3
Evaluate the choices to find a singular subjective pronoun.
The pronoun 'it' is singular and subjective, whereas the other options are plural or incorrect in case.
Selecting the grammatically correct option satisfies both agreement and case rules.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

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