SAT OwlQuestion bank / Form, Structure, and Sense
The Hubble Space Telescope, along with the cameras and spectrographs that astronauts installed during five servicing missions, has let astronomers see distant galaxies in remarkable detail. Much of this clarity comes from the telescope's location: ______ position above Earth's atmosphere avoids the blurring that affects ground-based observatories.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
their
its
it's
they're
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The pronoun refers to "the telescope," named just before the colon, which is singular. A singular possessive pronoun is needed, so "its" is correct. "It's" means "it is," and "their" and "they're" are plural.
Choice A may seem to refer to the cameras and spectrographs, but the position described belongs to the telescope, which is singular.
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