Question 5·Medium·Form, Structure, and Sense
In an effort to increase community engagement, the local library invited several authors to host writing workshops; however, the schedule was so full that none of the authors found ______ able to attend every session.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For pronoun questions, first underline the noun the pronoun must refer to (the antecedent) and decide if it is singular or plural. Then, check what role the pronoun plays in the sentence: subject, object, reflexive (referring back to the subject), or possessive. Eliminate any answer choices that do not match both the number (singular/plural) and the grammatical role, and always read the sentence with your chosen pronoun to confirm it is clear and logical.
Hints
Find the noun the pronoun replaces
Ask yourself: who is "able to attend every session" in this sentence? The pronoun in the blank must stand for that group.
Check singular vs. plural
Look at the phrase "none of the authors." Think about whether the sentence is talking about one person or a group of people overall, and match the pronoun's number to that.
Decide what kind of pronoun you need
The structure is "found ______ able to attend." Is the pronoun acting like a subject, an object, something that shows ownership, or is it reflecting back to the same people who are doing the finding?
Test each option in the sentence
Read the full sentence with each answer choice. Listen for whether it sounds like the authors are judging their own ability, and whether the pronoun form matches that meaning and the plural "authors."
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the blank refers to
Read the sentence and decide who is being described as "able to attend every session."
"...none of the authors found ______ able to attend every session."
The people whose ability is being judged are the same "authors" mentioned earlier in the sentence. So the pronoun in the blank must refer back to "authors."
Determine the number and role of the pronoun
The noun "authors" is plural, so the pronoun that replaces it should also be plural.
Next, notice the structure:
- "found ______ able to attend"
Here, the pronoun is not the subject of the sentence; it comes after the verb "found" and is part of the object of that verb. Also, the authors are evaluating their own ability, so the pronoun must reflect back to the same people as the subject, not to some different group.
Choose the grammatically correct pronoun form
Because the authors are judging their own ability, standard English calls for a reflexive pronoun (like "myself," "yourself," "ourselves") that is also plural to match "authors."
Among the options, only B) themselves is a plural reflexive pronoun that correctly refers back to "authors" and fits the structure "found themselves able to attend." So the correct answer is B) themselves.