Hard ACT Pronoun Practice Questions

Concept Explanation

ACT pronoun questions test your ability to ensure that every pronoun has a clear, singular antecedent and matches that antecedent in number, person, and case.

High-level performance on the English section requires recognizing subtle errors that involve ambiguous references, relative pronouns, and the distinction between subjective and objective cases. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun (the antecedent). To solve Hard ACT Pronoun Practice Questions, you must first identify the noun the pronoun is replacing. If there are two possible nouns, the pronoun is ambiguous and must be replaced with a specific noun. Furthermore, you must ensure numerical agreement; for example, collective nouns like "team" or "committee" are usually singular and require the pronoun "it" rather than "they."

Case is another critical area. The subjective case (e.g., I, he, she, they, who) is used for the person performing the action, while the objective case (e.g., me, him, her, them, whom) is used when the person receives the action or follows a preposition. For more foundational work, you might review ACT Pronoun Practice Questions with Answers before tackling these advanced scenarios. Additionally, relative pronouns like "who" and "whom" are frequently tested. Use "who" if you can substitute "he" or "she" and "whom" if you can substitute "him" or "her."

Solved Examples

1. Question: Although the professors and the students were present at the rally, they were not allowed to speak to the press.
   Is the pronoun "they" used correctly?
   Solution:
   1. Identify the potential antecedents for "they": "professors" and "students."
   2. Determine if it is clear which group was barred from speaking.
   3. Because "they" could refer to either group, the sentence is ambiguous.
   4. Correction: Replace "they" with the specific group, such as "the students were not allowed..."
2. Question: The committee, having finished the annual audit, submitted their report to the board of directors.
   Correct the pronoun error.
   Solution:
   1. Identify the antecedent: "committee."
   2. Determine the number: "Committee" is a collective noun acting as a single unit, so it is singular.
   3. Check the pronoun: "their" is plural.
   4. Correction: Change "their" to "its" to match the singular antecedent.
3. Question: Between you and I, the results of the experiment were quite surprising.
   Identify and fix the case error.
   Solution:
   1. Locate the pronoun: "I."
   2. Check the context: The pronoun follows the preposition "Between."
   3. Apply the rule: Objects of prepositions must be in the objective case.
   4. Correction: Change "I" (subjective) to "me" (objective). The phrase should be "Between you and me."

Practice Questions

1. Neither the lead architect nor the structural engineers expected that his or her designs would be rejected so abruptly by the city planning commission.

2. To who should the legal documents be delivered if the primary attorney is currently out of the office on a personal leave?

3. When the documentary filmmaker interviewed the local villagers about the recent flood, they seemed hesitant to discuss the government's role in the disaster.

4. The software company released their latest security patch just hours after the vulnerability was discovered by an independent researcher.

5. The debate team, which won the state championship last year, is confident that they can repeat the success this season.

6. Sarah and myself were selected to represent the university at the international symposium on renewable energy sources.

7. The novel is about a detective which discovers a hidden conspiracy involving the city's most prominent industrialist.

8. Each of the participants in the marathon must bring their own water bottle to the hydration stations located along the route.

9. After the chef and the restaurant owner argued about the menu, he decided to resign from the position immediately.

10. The scholarship was awarded to the student whom the faculty believed demonstrated the most significant academic growth over four years.

Answers & Explanations

1. Answer: their. In a "neither/nor" construction, the pronoun must agree with the closest noun. Since "engineers" is plural, the pronoun must be "their." This is a common trap in ACT Prep materials.
2. Answer: whom. The pronoun follows the preposition "To," requiring the objective case. You can test this by asking "Should they be delivered to him?" (Yes), so "whom" is correct.
3. Answer: the villagers (or the filmmaker). The pronoun "they" is ambiguous because it could refer to either the villagers or the filmmaker (if the filmmaker were plural, but here it refers to the villagers). However, even with "villagers" being the likely intended subject, the sentence structure often requires clarification on the ACT if two nouns are present.
4. Answer: its. "Company" is a collective noun and is singular. Therefore, the possessive pronoun must be "its," not "their."
5. Answer: it. Similar to the company example, "The debate team" is a singular collective unit. It should be "is confident that it can repeat..."
6. Answer: I. "Myself" is a reflexive pronoun and cannot be used as the subject. Since Sarah and the speaker are performing the action (being selected), use the subjective case "I."
7. Answer: who. "Which" is used for objects and animals. Since the antecedent is "a detective" (a person), the relative pronoun must be "who."
8. Answer: his or her. The subject is "Each," which is always singular. Even though "participants" is plural, "Each" is the head of the subject phrase. Thus, the singular "his or her" is required.
9. Answer: the chef (or the owner). "He" is ambiguous because it could refer to either the chef or the owner. The ACT requires removing this ambiguity by using the specific noun.
10. Answer: who. This is a difficult one. The phrase "the faculty believed" is an interrupter. If you remove it, you get "the student who demonstrated..." Since "who" is the subject of the verb "demonstrated," the subjective case is required.

1. Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence: "Neither the players nor the coach brought _____ equipment to the field"?

• Atheir
• Bhis
• Cthey
• Dits

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know when to use "who" vs "whom" on the ACT?

Use "who" as a subject (he/she) and "whom" as an object (him/her). A quick trick is to check if the pronoun is doing the action or receiving it, especially after a preposition like "to" or "for."

Are collective nouns like "group" or "team" singular or plural?

On the ACT, collective nouns are almost always treated as singular units. You should use singular pronouns like "it" or "its" to refer to them, rather than "they" or "their."

What is a reflexive pronoun error?

A reflexive pronoun error occurs when words like "myself" or "themselves" are used as the subject of a sentence. Reflexive pronouns should only be used when the subject and object are the same person.

How does the ACT test pronoun ambiguity?

The ACT tests ambiguity by providing a sentence where a pronoun (like "he" or "it") could logically refer to two different nouns. The correct answer will replace the pronoun with the specific noun to ensure clarity.

What is the rule for pronouns in "either/or" or "neither/nor" sentences?

In these constructions, the pronoun must agree with the noun closest to it. If the second noun is singular, use a singular pronoun; if the second noun is plural, use a plural pronoun.

Can "they" be used as a singular pronoun on the ACT?

While modern usage often accepts the singular "they," the ACT traditionally emphasizes formal grammar rules. It is safer to look for choices that maintain agreement with singular antecedents using "he or she" or "its."