Question

John and Tim went to the bank and he made a deposit.

• A. he
• B. they
• C. it
• D. their
• E. you

Hint:

When a pronoun follows a compound subject (e.g., "Noun 1 and Noun 2"), ensure the pronoun is plural ("they," "them," "their") to refer to both, or rephrase the sentence to avoid ambiguity if the pronoun is meant to be singular.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests pronoun ambiguity and pronoun-antecedent agreement. A pronoun must refer clearly to a specific noun (its antecedent) and agree with it in number (singular or plural).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The subject of the first clause is "John and Tim," which is a compound and therefore plural subject. The pronoun in the second clause is "he," which is singular. This creates two problems:
1. Ambiguity: We do not know if "he" refers to John or to Tim.
2. Agreement Error: If the intention is to refer to both John and Tim, the singular pronoun "he" does not agree with the plural antecedent.
Option (B) corrects this by using the plural pronoun "they," which clearly refers to both John and Tim, resolving the ambiguity and correcting the agreement error.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The pronoun "he" is ambiguous. Replacing it with "they" clarifies that both John and Tim made the deposit.