Question bank / Form, Structure, and Sense
The Okavango River in southern Africa never reaches the sea. Instead, ______ waters spread out across a vast inland delta in Botswana, where most of the water evaporates or soaks into the sand of the Kalahari Desert.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
it's
their
its
they're
Answer: C
The waters belong to the Okavango River, a singular noun, so the singular possessive "its" is correct. "It's" is a contraction of "it is," which doesn't make sense here.
Choice A is the contraction "it is," not the possessive form "its."
Got it wrong? On SAT Owl, Owl looks at the answer you chose and explains the exact mistake, then gives you similar questions until it sticks. Get your predicted SAT score free.