SAT OwlQuestion bank / Form, Structure, and Sense
Ecologists studied twelve species of wild bees living in different mountain valleys. They found that each of the bee species had adapted ______ foraging behavior to the particular flowers that bloom in its local habitat.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
its
their
it's
they're
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The pronoun refers to "each," which is singular even though it is followed by "of the bee species." A singular possessive pronoun is needed, and "its" also matches "its local habitat" later in the sentence.
Choice B agrees with "species" or "bees," but the antecedent is "each," which takes a singular pronoun.
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.