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SAT Reading and Writing skill page

SAT Pronoun Antecedent Practice

Match every pronoun to the noun it clearly replaces, then check number and meaning.

Practice pronoun antecedent in Dolphin SATPractice questions
10-16 min practice time3 questions on pageStandard English Conventions
Practice time10-16 min
Question bank3 questions
Best forStandard English Conventions

What this tests

What to know for this SAT skill

Dolphin question bank

Practice your skill

Question 1 of 3Easy

If you try on one of artist Nick Cave’s signature Soundsuits, you can expect to swish, rustle, or clang every time you move. Cave makes his suits out of found objects, everything from ceramic birds to broken record players. He carefully considers the sound an object makes before using in a suit.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
  1. this
  2. that
  3. these
  4. it
Show answer and solution
Correct answerD. it

Solution walkthrough

  1. Choice D is the best answer.
  2. The convention being tested here is pronoun-antecedent agreement.
  3. The singular pronoun "it" agrees in number with the singular antecedent "object. "
Why the other choices miss
Choice A is incorrect. The singular pronoun "this" is used to refer to a specific thing, but here there is no specific object being referred to. Instead, the sentence is referring back to a hypothetical object that Cave might use in a Soundsuit. Choice B is incorrect. The singular pronoun "that" is used to refer to a specific thing, but here there is no specific object being referred to. Instead, the sentence is referring back to a hypothetical object that Cave might use in a Soundsuit. Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun "these" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "object. "
Question 2 of 3Medium

In 1930, Japanese American artist Chiura Obata depicted the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park in two memorable woodcuts: Evening at Carl Inn and Lake Basin in the High Sierra. In 2019, exhibited alongside 150 of Obata’s other works in a single-artist show at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
  1. it was
  2. they were
  3. this was
  4. some were
Show answer and solution
Correct answerB. they were

Solution walkthrough

  1. Choice B is the best answer.
  2. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement.
  3. The plural pronoun “they” agrees in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts” and clearly identifies what was exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Why the other choices miss
Choice A is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts.” Choice C is incorrect because the singular pronoun “this” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “woodcuts.” Choice D is incorrect because the plural pronoun “some” is illogical in this context (referring to “some” of two woodcuts).
Question 3 of 3Easy

With its towering, six-spired exterior of granitelike quartz monzonite, the Salt Lake Temple is one of the most instantly recognizable structures in the state of Utah. However, many people do not know that built over the course of forty years, with construction beginning in 1853 and ending in 1893.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
  1. it was
  2. one was
  3. they were
  4. both were
Show answer and solution
Correct answerA. it was

Solution walkthrough

  1. Choice A is the best answer.
  2. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement.
  3. The singular pronoun "it" agrees in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple. "
Why the other choices miss
Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun "one" is ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves unclear whether there is only one Salt Lake temple or multiple. Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun "they" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple. " Choice D is incorrect because the plural pronoun "both" doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple. "

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes on this skill

Matching the pronoun to a nearby noun instead of its antecedent

Agreement depends on the noun the pronoun actually replaces, not simply the closest noun.

Accepting an ambiguous pronoun

A pronoun is unclear when more than one preceding noun could reasonably be its antecedent.

Study plan

How to practice this skill in Dolphin

  1. Draw a direct link from each pronoun to the noun it replaces.
  2. Check agreement in number and person.
  3. Reread for ambiguity and replace the pronoun with a noun when the reference is not unique.
Practice pronoun antecedent in Dolphin SAT

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FAQ

Questions about SAT Pronoun Antecedent Practice

What is an antecedent?

It is the noun or noun phrase to which a pronoun refers.

What makes a pronoun reference ambiguous?

Two or more nouns could fit the pronoun, so the reader cannot identify the intended referent confidently.