Question 125·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
Although the state’s network of hiking trails was created only ten years ago, _____ has already attracted millions of visitors.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For pronoun-agreement questions, first underline the noun (antecedent) the pronoun must replace, then decide if that noun is singular or plural and what kind of thing it is (person, object, idea). Eliminate any pronoun choices that do not match in number or are the wrong type (for example, demonstratives like "this/that/those" when you need a regular personal pronoun). Finally, plug the remaining option(s) back into the sentence to check for clarity and smooth, standard usage.
Hints
Identify the noun being replaced
Ask yourself: What word or phrase earlier in the sentence is the blank standing for?
Check singular vs. plural
Decide whether that noun is singular or plural. Then look for answer choices that match that number.
Compare the remaining singular options
Between the singular choices, think about which one clearly refers back to the specific noun, rather than vaguely pointing to an idea or situation.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find what the pronoun is replacing
Look at the sentence and decide what the blank is referring to:
"Although the state’s network of hiking trails was created only ten years ago, _____ has already attracted millions of visitors."
The thing that has attracted millions of visitors is the network of hiking trails, and the head noun of that phrase is network.
Decide if the antecedent is singular or plural
Even though "trails" is plural, the main noun is network, which is singular.
So the pronoun in the blank must also be singular to agree with "network." This means plural pronouns like "they" and "those" cannot be correct here.
Choose the precise singular pronoun
We are looking for a singular pronoun that clearly refers to the noun "network."
- "this" is a demonstrative pronoun that usually points to an idea or situation just mentioned, and would be vague here (what exactly is "this"?).
- "it" is a singular personal pronoun that naturally and clearly replaces a singular thing like "network."
Therefore, the choice that correctly completes the sentence is A) it.