Question

What does ‘they’ refer to? I asked at several shops for strawberries and the owners all told me they are out of season.

• A. Shops
• B. Strawberries
• C. Owners
• D. Season

Hint:

When identifying a pronoun reference:
Find the nearest sensible noun,
Check which noun logically fits the description. Meaning is more important than position.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Identify the pronoun. The word “they” is a pronoun that refers back to a previously mentioned noun (its antecedent).
Step 2: Examine the sentence for possible antecedents. Sentence: \[ \text{“I asked at several shops for strawberries and the owners all told me they are out of season.”} \] Possible nouns:
shops
strawberries
owners
season
Step 3: Use meaning and logic. The phrase “are out of season” logically applies to strawberries, not to shops, owners, or season itself.
Step 4: Identify the correct reference. Thus, “they” refers to strawberries.
Hence, the correct answer is \[ \boxed{\text{Strawberries}} \]