Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardPlural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

Based on the grammar and context of the passage, what form of the noun 'whale' correctly fits the blank?

Answer:Many marine biologists study the acoustic communication of cetaceans in order to understand their social structures. Although a single whale's vocalizations can travel across vast distances under the ocean, the 【whales'】 collective songs, which consist of complex and repeating patterns, serve to coordinate the movements of the entire pod during migration.

Answer

whales'
The sentence sets up a contrast between the vocalizations of 'a single whale' and the 'collective songs' of the group that coordinates 'the entire pod.' This context indicates that the blank must be filled with a plural noun. Additionally, because these songs belong to the whales, the noun must be in the possessive case. For regular plural nouns ending in 's,' the possessive is indicated by adding a single apostrophe at the end, resulting in 'whales'.'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine whether the noun in the blank needs to be singular or plural.
Plural
The sentence contrasts 'a single whale's vocalizations' with the collective behavior of the group ('the entire pod'), indicating that the noun must be plural.
2
Determine whether the noun in the blank needs to be possessive or non-possessive.
Possessive
The noun modifies the noun phrase 'collective songs,' indicating ownership or association, which requires a possessive form.
3
Apply the appropriate spelling and punctuation rules for a plural possessive noun ending in 's'.
whales'
For regular plural nouns ending in 's', the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe at the end of the word after the 's'.

Key Concept

Plural and Possessive Nouns
Rate this question

Topics

Plural and Possessive Nouns and Pronouns

More questions from this topic