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Difficulty: Very hardPronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

In 2024, a specialized commission of international environmental lawyers and policy experts convened to draft a legally binding treaty aimed at reducing global carbon emissions. Although this prominent group initially faced intense skepticism from industrial representatives who questioned the feasibility of the new regulations, _______ final report was highly praised by the UN delegation for its scientific rigor.

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

Answer

its
The singular possessive pronoun 'its' is correct because it agrees in number with the singular collective noun antecedent 'group' and properly modifies 'final report' to show possession.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent that the pronoun in the blank must replace or refer to.
The pronoun refers to the noun phrase 'this prominent group' (which stands for 'commission'). This is a singular collective noun.
Establishing the correct antecedent determines the singular or plural number of the pronoun.
2
Determine the grammatical function and case of the pronoun in the sentence.
The pronoun precedes the noun phrase 'final report' and must indicate ownership, meaning a possessive case pronoun is required.
The sentence structure dictates the case of the pronoun needed to modify the noun.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the singular possessive pronoun.
'its' is singular and possessive, agreeing with 'group' and correctly modifying 'final report.'
Selecting the option that matches both the required number and case completes the sentence grammatically.

Key Concept

Pronoun-antecedent agreement requires a pronoun to match its antecedent in both number (singular or plural) and gender. Singular collective nouns (such as 'group' or 'commission') take singular pronouns, even when followed by intervening plural nouns (like 'lawyers' or 'experts') in prepositional phrases. Additionally, writers must distinguish possessive pronouns like 'its' from contractions like 'it's'.
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Topics

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

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