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Question

Difficulty: MediumPlural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

Based on the grammatical context of the passage, what form of the noun 'scribe' correctly completes the blank?

Answer:During the Classic period of Maya civilization, scribes occupied a highly prestigious social tier, performing the vital task of recording historical lineages and astronomical calculations. Modern archaeologists have been able to study the distinct artistic styles of individual painters because many of these 【scribes'】 signatures were painted directly onto the surfaces of the ceramic vessels that they decorated.

Answer

scribes'
The sentence refers to the signatures belonging to multiple scribes (as indicated by the plural demonstrative modifier 'these' and the reference to 'individual painters'). To show plural possession for a regular noun that ends in -s, we add only an apostrophe at the end of the word. Thus, the plural possessive form 'scribes'' is correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context to determine the number (singular or plural) of the noun.
The demonstrative pronoun 'these' and the plural reference to 'individual painters' indicate that the blank requires a plural noun, 'scribes'.
The sentence refers to multiple scribes whose signatures were left on the vessels.
2
Analyze the context to determine if the noun must be possessive.
The noun modifies 'signatures,' which are owned by the scribes, indicating that a possessive form is required.
An apostrophe is necessary to show that the signatures belong to the scribes.
3
Combine plurality and possession to form the correct spelling.
The plural possessive form of 'scribe' is 'scribes''.
For plural nouns ending in -s, possession is indicated by adding an apostrophe after the -s.

Key Concept

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns
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Topics

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

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