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Pronoun case, agreement, and clear reference — ACT practice questions

Practice 66 Pronoun case, agreement, and clear reference questions in the app

What this topic is

Pronoun case, agreement, and clear reference on the ACT English test means choosing the correct pronoun form, matching it to its antecedent, and making sure the pronoun points to one clear noun.

A student must distinguish subject from object case, keep number consistent, and replace vague or competing references. The exam typically underlines a pronoun in a passage and asks for the most grammatically acceptable revision; answer choices swap case forms, singular and plural pronouns, or a named noun for an unclear it, they, or this.

Traps include matching the nearest noun, using a subject pronoun after a preposition, and leaving two possible referents.

Sample questions

Pick an answer to see whether it is right — nothing is saved, and nothing needs an account.

What Dust Remembers

[1]

Most archives preserve letters or photographs. The Grayfield Dust Archive preserves what cleaning usually removes. Each sealed envelope contains dust swept from an indoor room located inside a building1: a bakery loft, repair shop, or attic. Curators treat the material not as dirt but as a record of how air, fabric, wood, and people move through enclosed spaces.

[2]

To make samples comparable, volunteer collectors use identical brushes and paper trays. On each envelope, they record the room’s dimensions the sample’s color and texture and the collection date2. Collectors keep there3 brushes inside sleeves until arriving at a marked sampling square. They sweep the same measured area for one minute, fold the tray, and seal the dust before leaving.

[3]

When samples from many rooms are compared, patterns emerge that no single envelope could show. Dust beside warm-air vents contains more textile fibers than dust near closed cupboards. Repeated samples from a workshop may also trace a gradual change from hand sanding to machine cutting, since the newer process produces finer, more evenly distributed wood particles.

[4]

Back at the archive, technicians first log each unopened envelope and photograph its label. They check the seal and assign a code linking the envelope to the collector’s notes. The physical examination begins only after this intake record is complete. A technician sifts each sample through stacked screens. Fine particles fall more slow6 than coarse grains when air passes through a testing column. Staff then use low-powered lenses to identify fibers, compare fragments, and mapping the proportion of each material7. Once these measurements are entered, samples from different sites can be compared.

[5]

Before approving a record, the chief archivist consults whoever prepared the slide and whomever entered the room data8. The envelope and catalog card remain traceable only if it retains matching identification codes9. Finally, staff place each sample in a container which lid10 closes tightly without crushing the contents. Preserved together, thousands of ordinary specks become a patient map of work, weather, and daily life.

Question 1Mid

Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

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Answer: C — whoever entered the room data

The pronoun is the subject of the clause “entered the room data,” so the subject form “whoever” is required even though the entire clause is an object of “consults.”

Question 2Easier

Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

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Answer: B — they retain matching identification codes

The pronoun refers to the compound antecedent “envelope and catalog card,” so the plural pronoun “they” and the plural “codes” are required.

Question 3Easier

Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

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Answer: D — whose lid

“Whose” is the possessive relative pronoun connecting each container to its lid. “Who’s” means “who is” or “who has.”

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Practice 66 Pronoun case, agreement, and clear reference questions in the app

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