Question #N882
The following text is adapted from a book about the history of the American West. The cattle ranchers of the American West, ______ once known for their rugged individualism, are now increasingly dependent on sophisticated technologies such as GPS tracking and remote sensing.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?Correct Answer is: B
The subject of the verb "are now increasingly dependent" is "The cattle ranchers of the American West." The relative pronoun "who" correctly refers to the plural noun "ranchers." The word "who" also correctly indicates the subject of the verb "are now increasingly dependent" in a relative clause that modifies the subject of the main clause. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they use verbs that don't agree in number with the subject of the verb "are now increasingly dependent" and/or use pronouns that don't correctly refer to the subject of the verb "are now increasingly dependent."