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Question

Difficulty: MediumPlural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

The sociable weaver bird (*Philetairus socius*) of southern Africa constructs massive communal nests that can house hundreds of individuals across multiple generations. While these structures offer excellent protection from predators and extreme weather, a single __________ weight can eventually become so great that it snaps the large tree branch supporting the entire colony.

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

  1. nest'sAnswer
  2. B
    nest
  3. C
    nests
  4. D
    nests'

Answer

nest's
The correct answer is the singular possessive noun 'nest's'. The text refers to 'a single' structure, which requires the singular form of the noun. Because the weight belongs to the nest, the possessive form with an apostrophe followed by 's' is grammatically correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context around the blank to determine whether the target noun should be singular or plural.
The phrase 'a single' preceding the blank indicates that a singular noun is required.
Determining grammatical number is essential for selecting the correct noun form.
2
Determine if the noun needs to be possessive or non-possessive based on its syntactic relationship with the following word.
The noun directly precedes 'weight', which is a noun it modifies. The weight belongs to the nest, so the possessive form is required.
Identifying the relationship of possession helps place the apostrophe correctly.
3
Combine singular number and possessive case to select the correct form.
The singular possessive form of 'nest' is 'nest's'.
This matches standard English conventions for possessive singular nouns.

Key Concept

Plural and Possessive Nouns
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Topics

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

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