Question 48·Hard·Form, Structure, and Sense
The set of guidelines known as the Oslo Manual provides international standards for measuring innovation; as a result, _____ has become an indispensable reference for economists who compare data across countries.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For pronoun questions, quickly locate the antecedent (the word the pronoun replaces), then check two things: number (singular vs. plural) and type (person vs. thing). Eliminate any pronoun that doesn’t match both the number and the type of the antecedent, and remember that works like books, manuals, and reports are treated as singular “it,” even if their names include plural words like “guidelines” or “studies.”
Hints
Find the noun the blank replaces
Ask yourself: what earlier word or phrase is the blank standing in for? Look just before the semicolon and at the descriptive phrase that follows it.
Check number: singular or plural?
Is the thing that has “become an indispensable reference” one thing or more than one thing? Focus on the main noun in “The set of guidelines known as the Oslo Manual.”
Check type: person or thing?
Is the noun you identified a person, a group of people, or an object/work (like a book or manual)? Use that to eliminate pronouns that don’t fit.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the missing word refers to
First, find the noun that the blank is replacing. The sentence says: “The set of guidelines known as the Oslo Manual … has become an indispensable reference.” The blank is referring back to this set of guidelines/Oslo Manual as the thing that “has become an indispensable reference.”
Decide if the antecedent is singular or plural, and person or thing
Even though the phrase includes the plural word “guidelines,” the subject is “The set of guidelines,” which is one set, and it’s also called “the Oslo Manual,” a single manual. This is a single, non‑human thing, not a person and not multiple items.
Match the pronoun to the antecedent
Now compare the answer choices:
- A) “they” is plural and usually refers to multiple people or things.
- C) “she” is singular but refers to a female person.
- D) “those” is plural and points to multiple items. Only B) “it” is a singular pronoun used for a single thing like a manual or a set. So the correct answer is B) it.