Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumPlural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

Discovered in the late twentieth century near deep-sea hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, giant tube worms lack a mouth, gut, or digestive tract. Instead, each individual worm relies entirely on millions of symbiotic bacteria housed within the ______ specialized organ, known as the trophosome, which converts hydrogen sulfide into nutrients.

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

  1. A
    worm
  2. B
    worms
  3. worm'sAnswer
  4. D
    worms'

Answer

worm's
The correct answer is the singular possessive form 'worm's'. The sentence refers to the 'specialized organ' belonging to 'each individual worm'. Because 'each individual' is singular, the possessive noun modifying 'specialized organ' must also be singular. Adding an apostrophe followed by 's' to the singular noun 'worm' correctly indicates this singular possessive relationship.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context to determine the relationship between the target noun and the noun phrase that follows it.
The target noun modifies 'specialized organ', indicating ownership or possession of the organ by the worm. Therefore, a possessive form of the noun is required.
Possessive nouns are used to show ownership or association with a following noun.
2
Determine whether the possessive noun should be singular or plural by looking for clues in the sentence.
The phrase 'each individual worm' establishes that the sentence is referring to a single organism. Thus, a singular possessive noun is required.
Singular subjects require singular possessive modifiers to maintain grammatical agreement.
3
Select the correct spelling of the singular possessive form of 'worm'.
The singular possessive form is created by adding an apostrophe and 's' to the end of the singular noun: 'worm's'.
Standard English conventions dictate adding '-\'s' to a singular noun to indicate possession.

Key Concept

Plural and Possessive Nouns
Rate this question

Topics

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

More questions from this topic