Question 209·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
The documentary is structured as a series of _____ athletes from the U.S. women’s gymnastics team—the 1996 Olympic champions.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For apostrophe and noun-form questions, first read the entire sentence, especially the words immediately before and after the blank, to see what role each word must play (singular vs. plural, possessive vs. non-possessive). After phrases like “a series of,” expect a simple plural noun without an apostrophe. Then decide if any nearby noun needs to show ownership (like a team having athletes) and choose the correct singular or plural possessive form (’s for one owner, s’ for more than one). Eliminate any choices where apostrophes are used just to make a word plural or where the number (singular/plural) does not match the context.
Hints
Look at the phrase “a series of …”
Focus on the words right before the blank: “a series of ____.” Think about whether what goes in the blank should be singular or plural after “a series of.”
Watch the apostrophes
Some choices put an apostrophe in “interview’s” and some in “team’s” or “teams’.” Ask yourself: where, if anywhere, is possession needed, and where is a simple plural needed?
How many teams are being described?
The sentence names the “U.S. women’s gymnastics team—the 1996 Olympic champions.” Does this describe one team or multiple teams? That will determine whether you need a singular possessive (’s) or a plural possessive (s’).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what comes after the blank
Read the sentence with the blank and the words that follow:
"The documentary is structured as a series of _____ athletes from the U.S. women’s gymnastics team—the 1996 Olympic champions."
The blank is followed by the noun “athletes.” Whatever goes in the blank must fit smoothly right before “athletes,” as in “a series of ___ athletes … ”
Match the noun to “a series of”
After the phrase “a series of,” we normally use a plural count noun, such as “a series of interviews,” not “a series of interview.”
So we want “interviews” (plural) rather than “interview.” That means any choice with singular “interview” is grammatically off in number and can be eliminated.
Also, there is no reason for “interview” to be possessive here; it is just the thing that the series is made of, not something owning anything. So an apostrophe on “interview” would be incorrect.
Decide how many teams there are
Now focus on the word “team” inside the choices. The sentence clearly refers to one specific team: “the U.S. women’s gymnastics team—the 1996 Olympic champions.”
Because there is only one team, but that team has athletes, we need the singular possessive form: team’s (meaning “the athletes of the team”).
The form teams’ would mean more than one team owning something, which does not match this context.
Combine both requirements to pick the answer
We have two requirements:
- Use the plural noun “interviews” with no apostrophe after “a series of.”
- Use the singular possessive “team’s” to show that the athletes belong to one team.
Only “interviews with the team’s” satisfies both of these, so the correct answer is A) interviews with the team’s.