Ask you to find the NOUN (the referent) that a pronoun or other words refers to.

The following sample questions are normally used for reference questions:

• The word ___________ in the passage refers to___________.

• The phrase___________ in the passage refers to___________.
• What does the word ___________ refer to?
• What does the phrase ___________ refer to?

• The referent (the word to which a pronoun refers usually appears before the pronoun in the same
sentence or shows up in an earlier sentence. Sometimes, however, the referent might be found
after the pronoun. Substitute your answer for the highlighted word or words in the passage.
• Make sure that your answer is the same number (singular or plural), gender (male or female), and
case (first, second, or third person) as the highlighted pronoun.

There are generally four kinds of referential relationships which are asked in the test.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns refer back to one or something previously mentioned in the passage. Sometimes they
can refer forward to what is mentioned later in the passage. The third - person pronouns such as it, its,
they, their and them are frequently asked

• Capuchins crack walnuts by repeatedly pounding them with stones.

• When it was first introduced in Europe, coffee was sold in pharmacies as a medicinal remedy.

Demonstratives

Demonstratives are pronouns or adjectives pointing out which item is being referred to. In English, they
include this, that, these and those. Sometimes the former and the latter are also asked.

• Although the initial cost of a timber house is less than that of one made of brick or concrete, the
long - term expense is greater.
• An organization designed to accomplish some task is called a utilitarian organization. Businesses
are examples of this type.
Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns such as which, that, who whose and whom introduce a clause that modifies the noun
or noun phrase right before them. Sometimes which can refer to the entire previous clause.

• Penicillin kills a wide variety of bacteria, many of which cause disease in humans.
• In the early 1850s, many daguerreotypists were practicing in the United States, most of whom
were in the business to make money, not art.

Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns refer to an unknown or undetermined person, place, or thing. Indefinite pronouns
include words with some, any, every or no (e.g., someone, anyone, everyone, and no one) and one, another,
some, others, each and none.

• Diffusion is the process of introducing cultural elements from one society into another.
• By looking at examples of atoms, one discovers that each contains an equal number of electrons
and protons in the nucleus.
• Lactose, a sugar present in milk, is one of the simple sugars used in food preparations for infants.

Example 1:

Although “lie detectors” are being used by governments, police departments, and businesses that all want
guaranteed ways of detecting the truth, the results are not always accurate. Lie detectors are properly
called emotion detectors, for their aim is to measure bodily changes that contradict what a person says.
The polygraph machine records changes in heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and the electrical activity
of the skin (galvanic skin response, or GSR). In the first part of the polygraph test, you are electronically
connected to the machine and asked a few neutral questions ("What is your name?" "Where do you live?").
Your physical reactions serve as the standard (baseline) for evaluating what comes next. Then you are
asked a few critical questions among the neutral ones ("When did you rob the bank?"). The assumption
is that if you are guilty, your body will reveal the truth, even if you try to deny it. Your heart rate, respiration,
and GSR will change abruptly as you respond to the incriminating questions.

That is the theory, but psychologists have found that lie detectors are simply not reliable. Since most
physical changes are the same across the emotions, machines cannot tell whether you are feeling guilty,
angry, nervous, thrilled, or revved up from an exciting day. Innocent people may be tense and nervous
about the whole procedure. They may react physiologically to a certain word ("bank") not because they
robbed it, but because they recently bounced a check. In either case the machine will record a "lie." The
reverse mistake is also common. Some practiced liars can lie without flinching, and others learn to beat
the machine by tensing muscles or thinking about an exciting experience during neutral questions.

Question 1: The word ones in paragraph 1 refers to_______.

A. reactions B. evaluations C. questions D. standards
ANSWER
The best answer is C, in the context of the passage, “ones” replaces the word “questions”.
Question 2: The word it in paragraph 1 refers to_______.
A. the question B. the assumption C. the truth D. your body
ANSWER
The best answer is C. The word reveal is parallel with the word deny in this occasion. Therefore, the truth is
the same object for the two verbs.

Example 2: Hurricanes

The scientific name for a hurricane is a tropical cyclone. It is

fueled by the heat that is released when moist air rises and
condenses. Hurricanes rotate counter-clockwise in the
northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern.

Hurricanes can produce extremely strong winds, tornadoes,

heavy rain, and huge waves called storm surges. The heavy
rains and huge waves create giant floods. Though the
effects of these storms on humans can be catastrophic,
they are also known to relieve drought conditions.

Question: The word they in the passage refers to_______.

A. floods B. effects C. storms D. humans

ANSWER
The bold word they is a part of the sentence which explains the effects of hurricanes on human beings. So,
the pronoun they refers to the word storms, which is mentioned earlier in the same sentence. The correct
answer is C.

PRACTICE 1

Mount Rainier, the heart of Mt. Rainier National Park, is the highest mountain in the state of Washington
and in the Cascade Range. The mountain’s summit is broad and rounded. It is 14,410 feet above sea level
and has an area of about one square mile. Numerous steam and gas jets occur around the crater, but the
volcano has been sleeping for many centuries. Mount Rainier has a permanent ice cap and extensive
snow fields, which give rise to more than forty glaciers. These feed swift streams and tumbling waterfalls
that race through the glacial valleys. Forests extend to 4,500 feet. There are alpine meadows between the
glaciers and the forests, which contain beautiful wild flowers. The Nisqually Glacier is probably the ice
region that is most often explored by visitors. Paradise Valley, where hotel accommodations are available,
perches on the mountain’s slope at 5,400 feet. The Wonderland Trail encircles the mountain. Its 90-mile
length can be covered in about a week’s time.

Question 1: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word It refers to. the mountain's summit
Question 2: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word These refers to.
Question 3: The word which refers to_______.
A. forests B. wild flowers C. alpine meadows D. glacial valleys
Question 4: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word Its refers to.

PRACTICE 2

In addition to these various types of deep

mining, several types of surface mining may be used
when minerals lie relatively close to the surface of the
earth. One type is open-pit mining. The first step is to
remove the overburden, the layers of rock and earth
lying above the ore, with giant scrapers. The ore is
broken up in a series of blasting operations. Power
shovels pick up the pieces and load them into trucks
or, in some cases, ore trains. These carry it up ramps
to ground level. Soft ores are removed by drilling
screws, called augers.
Another type is called placer mining.
Sometimes heavy metals, such as gold, are found in
soil deposited by streams and rivers. The soil is picked up by a power shovel and transferred to a long
trough. Water is run through the soil in the trough. This carries soil particles away with it. The metal
particles are heavier than the soil and sink to the bottom where they can be recovered.
The finishing-off process of mining is called mineral concentration. In this process, the desired
substances are removed from the waste in various ways. One technique is to bubble air through a liquid
in which ore particles are suspended. Chemicals are added that make the minerals cling to the air bubbles.
The bubbles rise to the surface with the mineral particles attached, and they can be skimmed off and
saved.

Question 1: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word them in paragraph 1 refers to.
Question 2: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word These in paragraph 1 refers to.
Question 3: The phrase Another type in paragraph 2 is a reference to another type of____.
A. deep mining B. ore C. metal D. surface mining
Question 4: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word it in paragraph 2 refers to.
Question 5: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word they in paragraph 2 refers to.
Question 6: In paragraph 3, the phrase this process refers to_____.
A. surface mining B. the depositing of soil
C. mineral concentration D. placer mining
PRACTICE 3

Design is the arrangement of materials to produce certain

effects. Design plays a role in visual arts and in the creation of
commercial products. Designers are concerned with the
direction of lines, the size of shapes, and the shading of colors.
They arrange these patterns in ways that are satisfying to
viewers. There are various elements involved in creating a
pleasing design.

Harmony, or balance, can be obtained in several ways. It may

be either symmetrical (in balance) or asymmetrical (out of
balance, but still pleasing to the eye). Or a small area may
balance a large area if it has an importance to the eye (because
of color or treatment) equaling that of the larger area.

Contrast is the opposite of harmony. The colors red and orange harmonize, because orange contains red.
A circle and an oval harmonize, because they are both made up of curved lines. But a triangle does not
harmonize with a circle. Because of its straight lines and angles, it is in contrast.

Unity occurs when all the elements in a design combine to form a consistent whole. Unity resembles
balance. A design has balance if its masses are balanced or if its tones and colors harmonize. But unity
differs from balance because it implies that balanced elements work together to form harmony in the
design as a whole.

Question 1: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word They in paragraph 1 refers to.
Question 2: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word that in paragraph 2 refers to.
Question 3: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word they in paragraph 3 refers to.
Question 4: Underline the word or phrase in the passage that the word it in paragraph 3 refers to.
Question 5: In the last sentence, the word it refers to______.
A. unity B. balance C. a design D. a consistent whole