Question

the violins handmade in the seventeenth century by italian craftsman antonio stradivari have been celebrated as some of the finest in the world. in close collaboration with musicians, stradivari introduced changes to the shape of a traditional violin, flattening some of the instrument’s curves and making lighter overall. which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of standard english? choose 1 answer: a those b one c them d it

Explanation:

We need to find a pronoun that refers to the plural noun "violins" (or the plural "instrument" in context, as the changes are to the violin's shape and we want to refer to the violins/instruments). Let's analyze each option:

• Option A: "those" is a demonstrative pronoun, often used for comparison (e.g., "those violins are better than these"), not for a direct object or to refer to the same noun in the sentence. So it's incorrect.
• Option B: "one" is a singular pronoun, but we need a plural pronoun to refer to "violins" (plural). So it's incorrect.
• Option C: "them" is a plural object pronoun. Here, "making them lighter" refers to the violins (or the instruments) that Stradivari was modifying. This makes sense as "them" correctly refers to the plural noun.
• Option D: "it" is a singular pronoun, but we need a plural pronoun to match the plural subject (violins) or the plural "instrument" in the context of multiple violins. So it's incorrect.

Answer:

C. them