English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Using Demonstratives Clearly
10 questions · exam conditions
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Using Demonstratives ClearlyQuestion 1 of 10

During calibration, the sensor lost power while the software was recording data. The technicians then had to begin the entire calibration sequence again.

Which revision of the sentence below most clearly identifies what caused the technicians to restart the calibration?

This forced the technicians to restart the calibration.

This software-recording delay forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
This loss of sensor power forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
That recorded calibration data forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
These equipment and software systems forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
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English Grammar & Syntax Quiz

English Grammar & Syntax Quiz: Using Demonstratives Clearly

Practice Using Demonstratives Clearly in English Grammar & Syntax with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Using Demonstratives Clearly, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for English Grammar & Syntax.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

During calibration, the sensor lost power while the software was recording data. The technicians then had to begin the entire calibration sequence again.

Which revision of the sentence below most clearly identifies what caused the technicians to restart the calibration?

This forced the technicians to restart the calibration.

  1. This software-recording delay forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
  2. This loss of sensor power forced the technicians to restart the calibration. (correct answer)
  3. That recorded calibration data forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
  4. These equipment and software systems forced the technicians to restart the calibration.
Explanation: When a sentence uses a vague pronoun like "this" or "that" to refer to a previous event, you need to ask: which event, exactly? The passage describes two distinct problems — a loss of sensor power and software that was recording data simultaneously. A good revision replaces the vague "this" with precise language that pinpoints the actual cause of the technicians' setback. Reading the passage carefully, the critical chain of events is: the sensor lost power → the calibration was disrupted → the technicians had to restart. The power loss is the root cause. Answer B captures this exactly by replacing "this" with "this loss of sensor power," making the cause-and-effect relationship unmistakable and factually accurate to the passage. Answer A is tempting because it references the software recording, but the software recording data is not what forced the restart — it's actually what was interrupted by the power loss. Calling it a "software-recording delay" also mischaracterizes what happened; there was no delay, there was a failure. Answer C is the most misleading distractor: it implies the recorded data caused the restart, which reverses the logic entirely — the problem was that data recording was compromised, not that recorded data posed a problem. Answer D is vague in a different direction, blaming "equipment and software systems" broadly without identifying the specific failure, which is no clearer than the original "this." A useful habit: whenever you see a vague demonstrative pronoun ("this," "that," "these") in a revision question, trace it back to the passage and ask which specific noun or event it should name. Precision in reference is almost always the goal.

Question 2

The clinic reserved early appointments for urgent cases, shortened routine visits, and added an evening shift. These reduced the average waiting time by twelve minutes.

Which replacement for the second sentence uses a demonstrative with the clearest noun to refer to all three actions?

  1. This revised schedule reduced the average waiting time by twelve minutes.
  2. Those appointment reductions reduced the average waiting time by twelve minutes.
  3. These scheduling changes reduced the average waiting time by twelve minutes. (correct answer)
  4. These reduced waiting times shortened the average delay by twelve minutes.
Explanation: When a sentence refers back to multiple actions or ideas from the previous sentence, you need a demonstrative pronoun or adjective (this, that, these, those) paired with a noun that accurately captures everything being referenced. The question tests whether you can identify the clearest, most precise combination of demonstrative + noun. The passage describes three distinct actions: reserving early appointments, shortening routine visits, and adding an evening shift. Option C — "These scheduling changes" — earns its place as the correct answer because these (plural, referring to nearby multiple items) correctly points back to all three actions, and scheduling changes is a broad but accurate umbrella noun that covers all of them without distorting their meaning. Here's where the other options go wrong. Option A uses "This revised schedule," but this is singular and implies one unified document or policy — not three separate actions. It also introduces schedule, which doesn't naturally encompass adding a shift or shortening visits. Option B uses "Those appointment reductions," which fails on two counts: those implies distance (those things over there), and appointment reductions only captures part of what happened — it ignores the evening shift entirely. Option D is the trickiest trap: it begins with "These reduced waiting times," which actually changes the subject entirely. The sentence starts talking about waiting times rather than the actions that caused the reduction, creating a logical mismatch with what the demonstrative should be pointing to. Your strategy: whenever a demonstrative replaces a sentence referring to multiple ideas, ask yourself two questions — does the demonstrative form (singular/plural, near/far) match? And does the accompanying noun cover all the referenced items accurately?

Question 3

After Lena placed the glass vase beside the brass lamp, she wrapped the vase in foam. This protected it during the move.

Which revision of the second sentence most clearly states what protected the vase?

  1. This nearby lamp protected the glass vase during the move.
  2. That glass vase protected the foam during the move.
  3. These moving preparations protected the brass lamp during the move.
  4. This foam wrapping protected the glass vase during the move. (correct answer)
Explanation: When a sentence uses a vague pronoun like "this," "that," or "it" to refer back to something from a previous sentence, you're dealing with pronoun reference clarity. The reader should never have to guess what the pronoun points to. Revision questions like this ask you to replace that ambiguity with precise, specific language. In the original passage, "This protected it during the move" leaves two unclear references: what is "this," and what is "it"? The passage mentions a vase, a lamp, and foam wrapping — any of them could theoretically be the subject or object. The best revision names both the protector and the thing being protected explicitly. Answer D, "This foam wrapping protected the glass vase during the move," does exactly that. The foam wrapping logically functions as the protector (Lena just wrapped the vase in it), and the glass vase is what needed protection during the move. The logic flows perfectly from the first sentence. Answer A incorrectly identifies the brass lamp as the protector — the lamp was only placed nearby; it played no protective role. Answer B reverses the relationship entirely, claiming the vase protected the foam, which contradicts both the passage's logic and common sense. Answer C introduces "moving preparations" as the protector, which is a vague generalization not supported by the passage, and it also wrongly identifies the brass lamp (not the vase) as the thing being protected. Your takeaway: whenever you see a vague demonstrative pronoun ("this," "that," "these") in a revision question, ask yourself what specific noun it replaces and whether that replacement makes logical sense in context.

Question 4

Over the winter, the company's online orders rose by 30 percent, while visits to its physical stores declined. Both trends led managers to adjust employee schedules.

Which sentence uses a demonstrative and noun phrase to refer clearly to both trends?

  1. This increase in online orders altered the company's employee schedules.
  2. These shifts in customer behavior altered the company's employee schedules. (correct answer)
  3. Those online customers altered the company's employee schedules.
  4. These declines in physical store visits altered the company's employee schedules.
Explanation: When a question asks about referring to multiple previously mentioned ideas, you need to find a sentence whose demonstrative pronoun and noun phrase together capture all of those ideas — not just one, and not something unmentioned. The passage describes two distinct trends: rising online orders and declining in-store visits. The phrase "both trends" signals that a good summary reference must encompass both. Answer B does exactly this — "these shifts in customer behavior" uses the plural demonstrative these (signaling proximity and plurality) and the noun phrase "shifts in customer behavior," which is broad enough to umbrella both the increase in online orders and the decrease in physical visits. It's accurate, plural, and genuinely inclusive. Answer A fails because it references only one trend — the increase in online orders — ignoring the decline in physical store visits entirely. The singular framing "this increase" makes it even clearer that only half the picture is being captured. Answer C introduces "those online customers," which not only uses those (implying distance, which feels disconnected) but refers to people, not trends or behaviors — a concept the passage never establishes as causal. Answer D has the opposite problem from A: it captures only the declining store visits and ignores the online order growth, making it just as incomplete. A helpful strategy: whenever you see a demonstrative reference question, first identify exactly what needs to be referenced (how many ideas? what type?), then check each option's noun phrase for completeness. If the noun phrase excludes even one key element from the passage, it's wrong — no matter how accurate it is about what it does mention.

Question 5

Several interns requested help preparing their presentations. The mentors later met with both the interns and their supervisors. Those who had requested guidance received extra practice time.

Which revision of the final sentence most clearly identifies the people who received extra practice time?

  1. Those supervisors who requested guidance received extra practice time.
  2. These requests for guidance received additional presentation practice time.
  3. Those interns who requested guidance received extra practice time. (correct answer)
  4. Those participants who requested guidance received extra practice time.
Explanation: When a passage introduces multiple groups of people, vague pronoun references or broad descriptors can blur who did what. This question tests your ability to spot ambiguous reference and choose the revision that most precisely identifies the subject. The passage mentions three groups: interns, mentors, and supervisors. The original sentence — "Those who had requested guidance received extra practice time" — is unclear because multiple groups appear in the passage, and "those" could refer to any of them. The key detail is that the interns were the ones who requested help at the start of the passage. Choice C, "Those interns who requested guidance received extra practice time," directly names the interns and links them to their earlier request, eliminating any ambiguity. That's why C is correct. Choice A fails because it substitutes "supervisors" — but the passage never says supervisors requested guidance. Choosing A introduces a factual distortion, attributing an action to the wrong group entirely. Choice B is grammatically awkward and illogical; "requests for guidance" cannot receive practice time, because requests are not people — this is a case of faulty personification. Choice D replaces "those" with "participants," which sounds more formal but remains vague. All three groups could be called "participants," so this revision doesn't actually solve the ambiguity problem. Study tip: Whenever you see a sentence with "those," "these," or other vague pronouns following a passage with multiple noun groups, ask yourself: Can I tell exactly who this refers to without rereading? If not, look for the answer choice that substitutes a specific, accurate noun — that's almost always correct.

Question 6

Technicians rinse each sample tube and then seal it immediately. Neither action alone is sufficient; only the combination of the two actions prevents contamination.

Which sentence uses a demonstrative with a precise noun phrase to summarize the combination of actions?

  1. This two-step handling procedure prevents the samples from becoming contaminated. (correct answer)
  2. These sealed sample containers prevent the samples from becoming contaminated.
  3. That initial rinsing step prevents the samples from becoming contaminated.
  4. Those laboratory contaminants prevent the samples from becoming contaminated.
Explanation: When a question asks you to identify a sentence that uses a demonstrative pronoun with a "precise noun phrase" to summarize multiple actions, you need to check two things simultaneously: (1) does the demonstrative word point to the right referent, and (2) does the noun phrase that follows it accurately capture all the actions described, not just one? In the passage, technicians perform two actions — rinsing and sealing — and the passage explicitly states that only their combination prevents contamination. The ideal summary sentence must reflect that paired process. Choice A does exactly this: "this two-step handling procedure" uses the demonstrative this to point back to the immediately described process, and the noun phrase "two-step handling procedure" precisely encapsulates both actions together as a unified method. That's your correct answer. Choice B fails because "these sealed sample containers" references only the sealing step — it ignores rinsing entirely and shifts focus to the containers rather than the procedure itself. Choice C makes a similar error in the opposite direction: "that initial rinsing step" highlights only the rinsing action, and the demonstrative that creates unnecessary distance from what was just described. Choice D is the most obviously wrong — "those laboratory contaminants" completely misrepresents the passage's content; contaminants are what the procedure prevents, not what the sentence should be summarizing. A useful pattern to remember: when you see demonstratives (this, these, that, those) paired with noun phrases, always ask whether the noun phrase is complete and accurate. A precise summary noun phrase must reflect the full scope of what's being referenced — partial summaries are a common trap on syntax questions.

Question 7

In the experiment, plants under blue light grew taller than plants under red light, although both groups received equal amounts of water. This surprised the researchers, who had predicted that light color would make no difference.

Which replacement for This most clearly identifies what surprised the researchers?

  1. These equal watering conditions surprised the researchers
  2. This difference in plant growth surprised the researchers (correct answer)
  3. That blue experimental light surprised the researchers
  4. Those taller blue-light plants surprised the researchers
Explanation: When a pronoun like this or these opens a sentence, it must refer clearly to a specific idea from the previous sentence. If the reference is vague or could point to multiple things, readers get confused. This question tests your ability to replace a vague pronoun with a precise noun phrase that eliminates ambiguity. Look at what the passage actually says surprised the researchers: plants under blue light grew taller than plants under red light — a difference in growth between the two groups. Choice B, "This difference in plant growth," captures that contrast precisely. It replaces the vague this with a noun phrase that mirrors the actual finding described, leaving no doubt about what caused the surprise. Choice A goes wrong by pointing to "equal watering conditions," which is mentioned in the passage but was a controlled variable, not the surprising result. The equal watering was expected; it's not what shocked anyone. Choice C narrows the focus to "blue experimental light" itself, but the light wasn't the surprise — it was what the light did to the plants. Choice D identifies "taller blue-light plants" as the surprise, which gets closer but is still incomplete. The researchers were surprised by the comparison between groups — the difference — not simply that blue-light plants were tall. A useful strategy here: when replacing a vague pronoun, go back to the previous sentence and ask, "What is the key relationship or outcome being described?" The correct replacement should name that relationship, not just one element of it. Choices that grab only a single detail from the sentence (like C or D) are classic traps on pronoun-reference questions.

Question 8

The council considered a downtown proposal that would permit more apartments and a riverfront proposal that would add public parking. Residents near the riverfront opposed the second plan because they expected additional traffic.

Which sentence most clearly identifies the proposal opposed by the riverfront residents?

  1. That riverfront parking proposal drew objections from nearby residents concerned about traffic. (correct answer)
  2. This downtown housing proposal drew objections from nearby residents concerned about traffic.
  3. Those residents' traffic proposal drew objections from people living near the riverfront.
  4. That pair of municipal proposals drew objections from nearby residents concerned about traffic.
Explanation: When a question asks you to identify which proposal is being referenced, your job is to check two things: (1) does the demonstrative pronoun or adjective point to the right referent, and (2) does the description match the details given in the passage? The passage tells you the riverfront proposal would add public parking, and that riverfront residents opposed it because of traffic concerns. The sentence that most accurately captures this uses "that" — a demonstrative adjective pointing to a previously mentioned, specific thing — and correctly labels it the "riverfront parking proposal." That's answer A. It identifies the right proposal (riverfront, not downtown), the right feature (parking), the right objectors (nearby residents), and the right reason (traffic). Every detail aligns with the passage. Answer B fails immediately because it describes the downtown housing proposal, which is the other plan — the one that wasn't opposed by riverfront residents. Swapping the proposals is a classic trap when two subjects are in play. Answer C scrambles the logic entirely. It calls it a "traffic proposal," but traffic was the concern, not the proposal's purpose. It also reverses who is objecting to whom, making the sentence factually incoherent. Answer D refers to "that pair of municipal proposals," which is vague and inaccurate — only one proposal drew objections, not both. Broad, non-specific references fail precision tests like this one. Strategy tip: When two subjects are introduced in a passage, distractor answers will often swap their attributes. Always trace each detail back to its original subject before selecting your answer.

Question 9

Standing at her desk, Mira held up the revised contracts lying in front of her and then pointed to the archived contracts in boxes by the door across the room.

Which sentence uses demonstratives and clear nouns to distinguish the nearby contracts from the more distant contracts?

  1. Those revised contracts need signatures; these archived contracts can be filed.
  2. These revised contracts need signatures; these archived contracts can be filed.
  3. These revised contracts need signatures; those archived contracts can be filed. (correct answer)
  4. Those revised contracts need signatures; those archived contracts can be filed.
Explanation: When a question asks you to distinguish objects by location, think about demonstrative pronouns: this/these for nearby things and that/those for things farther away. Your job is to match each demonstrative to the correct object based on the physical setup described in the passage. In the passage, Mira is holding up the revised contracts — they are right in front of her, in her hands. The archived contracts are across the room in boxes by the door. So the revised contracts are near, and the archived contracts are distant. Answer C correctly applies this logic: "These revised contracts" uses these for the nearby contracts she's holding, and "those archived contracts" uses those for the distant ones across the room. The nouns (revised, archived) also clearly identify which is which, making the sentence unambiguous. Answer A gets it backwards — those is used for the revised contracts (which are nearby) and these for the archived contracts (which are far). This reverses the spatial relationship entirely. Answer B uses these for both sets of contracts, which creates confusion because the same demonstrative is applied to objects at two different distances — the reader can't tell them apart spatially. Answer D mirrors the same problem as B but uses those for both, incorrectly implying both sets of contracts are far away, which contradicts the passage. A handy memory rule: this/these = here, that/those = there. On grammar questions involving demonstratives, always locate each object in the described scene first, then assign your demonstratives accordingly.

Question 10

The director claimed that the renovation would pay for itself within one year. However, the report contained no estimates of the renovation's costs. This was challenged by the treasurer, who called the one-year prediction unrealistic.

Which replacement for This most clearly identifies what the treasurer challenged?

  1. This lack of cost estimates was challenged by the treasurer
  2. These projected renovation costs were challenged by the treasurer
  3. That incomplete annual report was challenged by the treasurer
  4. That one-year financial claim was challenged by the treasurer (correct answer)
Explanation: When a pronoun like This appears at the start of a sentence, your job is to trace exactly what it refers to — not what's nearby, but what the sentence actually needs it to mean. Here, the treasurer specifically challenged the one-year prediction that the renovation would pay for itself. That's the claim being disputed, so any replacement for This must point to that financial prediction. Choice D, "That one-year financial claim," does exactly that. It names the director's specific assertion about the payback timeline, which is precisely what the treasurer called unrealistic. The logic is tight and the reference is unambiguous. Choice A goes wrong by saying the treasurer challenged "the lack of cost estimates." But the treasurer didn't object to missing data — she called the one-year prediction unrealistic. Swapping in a different complaint misrepresents what the passage actually says. Choice B introduces "projected renovation costs," but no specific cost projections appear in the passage at all. This answer fabricates a detail, making it factually unsupported by the text. Choice C refers to "that incomplete annual report," but the passage never describes the report as annual, and the treasurer's challenge targets a specific claim — not the report as a whole document. This replacement is both inaccurate and too vague. D is the correct answer because it is the only option that matches what the treasurer actually challenged, using language directly tied to the director's original claim. Strategy tip: On pronoun-reference questions, always return to the passage and ask: what specific thing is the subject of the verb? Distractors often substitute a nearby detail for the actual referent.