Deck 24: Pronoun Agreement

Question 1

Which one of the following is not an indefinite pronoun?

A) nobody
B) them
C) none
D) another

Answer 1

them

Question 2

Which one of the following sentences has a pronoun-antecedent agreement problem?

A) Someone is mowing their lawn.
B) Everyone should listen to his or her conscience.
C) None of the actors remembered his or her lines.
D) Someone locked his or her keys in the car.

Answer 2

Someone is mowing their lawn.

Question 3

Which one of the following sentences has a pronoun-antecedent agreement problem?

A) Wendy and Julian wanted their wedding in June.
B) Both cars need their tires rotated.
C) Neither of the girls could explain their behavior.
D) People should be aware how their actions influence others.

Answer 3

Neither of the girls could explain their behavior.

Question 4

What is sexism in writing?

A) assuming that all people in a group are male
B) assuming that all people in a group are female
C) using gender-specific terms to refer to a group that consists of both males and females
D) all of the above

Question 5

Which one of the following pronouns would best complete the sentence below?
A sanitation worker has to set __________ alarm clock for very early in the morning.

A) his
B) his or her
C) their
D) her

Question 6

Which one of the following pronouns would best complete the sentence below?
A travel agent should get __________ vacation at a discount.

A) their
B) his
C) her
D) his or her

Question 7

Which one of the following pronouns would best complete the sentence below?
Each of the contestants received a tag with __________ name on it.

A) their
B) his
C) her
D) his or her

Question 8

Which one of the sentences below is an example of sexism in writing?

A) While a trial is ongoing, a juror cannot give his or her opinions to the press.
B) One of the doctors left his pager.
C) A chemist should wear his or her lab coat at all times.
D) Stunt people always bring their own emergency gear.

Question 9

Which one of the sentences below is an example of sexism in writing?

A) An elected official should at least know the laws of his or her state.
B) The rangers patrolled their area of land.
C) Policemen are here to protect and serve the public.
D) One of the hairdressers forgot to clean his or her scissors.

Question 10

How can you avoid sexism in your own writing?

A) Don't write about people; choose subject matter that deals with animals.
B) Use the phrase he or she, or make the entire sentence plural.
C) Use he and him throughout your essay, so your references are consistent.
D) Find out what your instructor prefers-masculine or feminine references.

Question 11

What is pronoun-antecedent agreement?

Question 12

What is sexism in writing?

Question 13

What is wrong with the following sentence?
Every talk show host should avoid offending his audience.

Question 14

Rewrite the sentence in Question 3 to use pronouns correctly and avoid sexist language.

Question 15

What is wrong with the following sentence?
A mailman has to work some holidays.

Question 16

Rewrite the sentence in Question 5 to use pronouns correctly and avoid sexist language.

Question 17

Underline the errors in the following paragraph. Then correct the errors by rewriting the paragraph.

-everyone can be a fireman. A firefighter has to be in excellent shape. He needs to be able to lift heavy objects and run quickly. He shouldn't be afraid of heights or afraid to take necessary risks. If a firefighter freezes when someone needs help, then a life might be lost. A firefighter also needs to be a responsible individual. They have to take care of his or her equipment as well as maintain the fire truck and the firehouse. Although not a necessarily requirement, all firefighters tend to be excellent cooks and have his or her own special recipes. All in all, firefighters are strong and courageous people, and the community is lucky to have him.