LESSON 37

Reference Items

Reference items ask you to find the noun (called the referent) that a pronoun or other word refers to. Two
things to remember:
1. The referent almost always comes before the reference word in the passage.
2. The referent is NOT always the noun that is closest to the reference word in the sentence.
On the computer-based test, most reference items are Click on the Passage items but a few are Multiple-
Choice items.

Click on Reference Items

When you see this type of item, a section of the passage—usually one or two sentences—appears in bold
text, just as in Vocabulary items. A pronoun or other reference word will be highlighted. You have to find
the referent in the bold text to which the highlighted word or phrase refers.
You can identify “possible answers” in the bold text according to the type of reference word that is
highlighted. For example, if the pronoun he is being asked about, you would only look for nouns that name a
singular male person. Here’s a list of common reference words and the kinds of nouns they refer to:
Reference Words Possible Referents
she her hers herself A singular female
he his him himself A singular male
it its itself A singular thing, place, animal, action, idea
they their them themselves Plural persons, things, animals, places, actions, ideas
who whose Person(s)
which Things(s), place(s), animal(s), action(s), idea(s)
that (relative pronoun) Person(s), thing(s), place(s), animal(s), action(s),
idea(s)
then Time
there Place
this that (demonstrative) Singular thing, action, idea
these those Plural things, actions, ideas
This, that, these, and those can also be used with nouns: this person, that time, those animals, or these
places.
After you have identified possible answers, you should read the sentence with the answers in place of the
reference. Which one is the most logical substitute? If you are not sure, you can at least eliminate unlikely
choices and guess.

Multiple-Choice Reference Items

A few reference items will ask you to choose to which one of four nouns a pronoun or other word refers.
Again, you should read the sentence with each of the four choices in place of the highlighted word to
decide which of the four answers is the most logical.

238
 LESSON 37: REFERENCE ITEMS
EXERCISE 37.1
Focus: Identifying the referents for pronouns and other expressions in sentences and short passages
Directions: Read the items. Decide which word or phrase in the items is the correct referent for
12345678
the12345678
highlighted word or phrase and underline it or (for Multiple-Choice items) mark the correct
12345678
answer. If there are two highlighted words or phrases, circle the first reference and underline the
second.
1. X rays allow art historians to examine
paintings internally without damaging
them.
2. The poisonous, plantlike anemone lives in a
coral reef. When a small fish ventures near
this creature , it is stung and eaten. For
some reason, the anemone makes an
exception of the clown fish. When the
clown fish is endangered by another fish, it
dashes among the anemone’s tentacles. It
even builds its nest where the anemone can
protect it .
3. Florists often refrigerate cut flowers to
protect their fresh appearance.
(A) Florists’
(B) Flowers’
4. Unlike a box kite, a flat kite needs a tail to
supply drag and to keep it pointed toward
the sky. A simple one consists of cloth
strips tied end to end.
5. Water is an exception to many of nature’s
rules because of its unusual properties.
6. Ropes are cords at least .15 inches in
diameter and are made of three or more
strands which are themselves formed of
twisted yarns.
(A) Yarns
(B) Ropes
(C) Strands
(D) Cords
7. Grocers slice sides, quarters, and what are
called primal cuts of beef into smaller
pieces. These pieces are then packaged and
sold.
239
8. Leaves are found on all deciduous trees, but
they differ greatly in size and shape.
9. Yasuo Kuniyashi was born in Japan in 1883
and studied art at the Los Angeles School of
Art and Design. He also studied art in New
York City, where he gave his first one-man
show. In 1925 he moved from there to
Paris where he was influenced by the
works of Chagall and other artists.
(A) Japan
(B) Paris
(C) Los Angeles
(D) New York City
10. In the past, biologists considered mush-
rooms and other fungi a type of nongreen
plant. Today, however, they are most
commonly regarded as a separate kingdom
of living things.
11. William Dean Howells, a contemporary and
friend of Mark Twain, wrote a number of
books that realistically portrayed life on
farms in Midwestern America. One of his
followers, Hamlin Garland, was even more
bitter in his criticism of rural America than
his mentor.
12. The Wisconsin Dells is a region where the
Wisconsin River cuts through soft sand-
stone. The strange formations that have
been carved out of the rocks there are a
delight to tourists. They have names such
as Devil’s Elbow, Grand Piano, and Fat
Man’s Misery.
www.petersons.com