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Difficulty: MediumPlural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

In 1847, astronomer Maria Mitchell swept her telescope across the night sky and spotted a blurry streak that would become known as 'Miss Mitchell's Comet.' While many of Mitchell's contemporaries focused on documenting known celestial bodies, the _______ dedication to scanning the skies led to the historic discovery of a new comet and earned her international acclaim.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and grammatically correct term?

  1. astronomer'sAnswer
  2. B
    astronomers
  3. C
    astronomers'
  4. D
    astronomer

Answer

astronomer's
The correct answer is 'astronomer's'. The text refers to the dedication of one specific astronomer, Maria Mitchell. To show that the 'dedication' belongs to her, we must use the singular possessive form, which is created by adding an apostrophe and an 's' to the singular noun.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relationship between the blank and the noun that follows it.
The blank precedes 'dedication', indicating that we need a possessive noun to show who the dedication belongs to.
Understanding the grammatical relationship helps determine if a possessive form is required.
2
Determine the number of the noun in context.
The sentence refers to Maria Mitchell, who is a single individual, so we need the singular form.
This establishes whether the noun should be singular or plural.
3
Combine the singular number and possessive case to choose the correct spelling.
The singular possessive form of 'astronomer' is 'astronomer's'.
This produces the grammatically correct word for the blank.

Key Concept

Singular possessive nouns require an apostrophe followed by an 's' to show ownership.
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Topics

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

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