Established in the late nineteenth century, the museum, which houses one of the largest collections of avian specimens in North America, recently completed the restoration of _______ historical library. This newly renovated space now offers visiting scholars unprecedented access to rare field guides, hand-colored illustrations, and original correspondence from early ornithologists.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- itsAnswer
- Btheir
- Cit's
- Dits'
Answer
The singular possessive pronoun 'its' correctly completes the sentence by agreeing with the singular antecedent 'the museum'.
The singular possessive pronoun 'its' correctly agrees in number with the singular antecedent 'the museum'. The intervening nonessential relative clause contains plural nouns like 'collections' and 'specimens', but the pronoun must agree with the main subject of the clause, which is singular.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement in Number
Alternative Method
To easily identify the correct pronoun, temporarily remove the intervening relative clause: 'the museum... recently completed the restoration of [its/their] historical library.' This highlights that the singular pronoun 'its' is required to refer back to the singular noun 'museum'.
Estimated Time:1m 0s