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Form, Structure, and Sense SAT question

Reading and Writing · Standard English Conventions · Easy · Answer it here, explanation included.

Public-awareness campaigns about the need to reduce single-use plastics can be successful, says researcher Kim Borg of Monash University in Australia, when these campaigns give consumers a choice: for example, Japan achieved a 40 percent reduction in plastic-bag use after cashiers were instructed to ask customers whether blank wanted a bag.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

ExplanationShow

Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they” agrees in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”

Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun “one” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “customers.” Choice C is incorrect because the second person pronoun “you” isn’t conventional as a substitute for “customers.” It suggests that the audience (“you”) is the customer. Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”

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