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Difficulty: MediumPlural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents support unique ecosystems that thrive in the absence of sunlight. In these extreme environments, chemosynthetic bacteria convert chemicals into energy, sustaining a variety of specialized organisms. Among the most prominent are giant tube worms, whose survival depends on a symbiotic relationship with bacteria housed inside each ______ body. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A
    worm
  2. B
    worms
  3. worm'sAnswer
  4. D
    worms'

Answer

The correct answer is the singular possessive noun 'worm's'.
The sentence requires a singular possessive noun to modify 'body' and show ownership. The word 'each' is a singular determiner, indicating that the singular form 'worm' is required, rather than the plural 'worms'. To show possession, an apostrophe followed by 's' must be added, resulting in the singular possessive form 'worm's'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence around the blank.
The blank is followed by the noun 'body' and preceded by the determiner 'each' within the prepositional phrase 'inside each ______ body'.
Identifying the surrounding words helps determine the required part of speech, number, and case.
2
Determine the number of the noun required by the context clues.
The word 'each' is singular, indicating that the noun completing the blank must be singular ('worm' rather than 'worms').
Singular determiners like 'each' must modify singular nouns.
3
Determine the case of the noun required by the context clues.
The noun must modify 'body' to show possession (whose body), which requires the possessive case ('worm's').
A noun modifying another noun to indicate ownership requires the possessive form.
4
Combine the singular and possessive requirements to select the correct form.
The correct form is the singular possessive 'worm's'.
This satisfies both the singular requirement of 'each' and the possessive requirement of 'body'.

Key Concept

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

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