BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Target Test Prep · GMAT

Choose how you want to prepare

Learn live with an expert or move at your own pace. Every option includes the complete TTP study system.

★★★★★5.0559 reviews
Vote for Target Test Prep, Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards 2026
NEWSWEEK READERS’ CHOICE 2026

BIG NEWS! Target Test Prep has been nominated, and they’d love your vote!

TTP has worked incredibly hard to build the best test prep experience possible, and winning Newsweek’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Test Prep would mean a lot to them. If TTP has helped you, they’d be incredibly grateful for your vote. You can vote once each day through September 9.

Vote for TTP
GMATLiveTeach 7 seats left
Chris Peckover
NEXT LIVE COHORT

Oct 13 to Jan 7, 2027

with Chris Peckover

Schedule
Tue, Thu · 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET
Included
40 live hours + 6 months of GMAT OnDemand
  • Live instruction and real-time questions
  • Class recordings and assigned practice
View class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
EALiveTeach 5 seats left
Logan Thompson
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

with Logan Thompson

Schedule
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Included
Live EA class + 6 months of EA OnDemand
  • Expert-led weekly online sessions
  • EA Masterclass access between classes
View EA class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
GMATOnDemand Start anytime
SELF-PACED MASTERCLASS

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Complete access from day one. Study on your schedule.

715+ score guarantee
$0to start then $127/mo
  • Personalized study plan and analytics
  • Thousands of lessons and practice questions
Start free 5-day trial
Read 559 reviewsTarget Test Prep

Compare the format, schedule, and included access before enrolling. Prices and seat counts shown reflect the supplied offer details.

its vs their?

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 340
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:09 am
Location: India
Thanked: 6 times
by kiranlegend » Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:32 am
The members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries usually comply with their decisions, which are designed to maximize the long term profits of member nations.


their decisions, which are designed to maximize

its decisions, which are designed to maximize

their decisions that are designed for the maximization of

its decisions that are designed for the maximization of

its decisions, designed as they are to maximize
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Legendary Member
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:35 pm
Thanked: 56 times

by raunekk » Fri Jul 11, 2008 2:26 pm
IMO:A

Here,


" members " is plural..so it will take plural "their"

"ITS" is used for singular noun.


"for the maximization of " is wrong usage "to maximize" is right idiom.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 187
Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 5:44 amFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 6 times

by loki.gmat » Fri Jul 11, 2008 10:18 pm
in the question above, the intended meaning is to highlight the compliance of the member countries to the decisions made by OPEC as an organisation. so we require "its" (singular possessive pronoun) here n not "their".

so eliminate A n C.

D - "the maximization of ......." is incorrect usage.

E - antecedant of "they" is not clear.

hence IMO B.


Thanks!
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1159
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:35 pm
Thanked: 56 times

by raunekk » Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:53 pm
kiranlegend

i am a bit confused over here.. may i know wats d correct answer..

I cannot make out what is "its" referring to..

OA??

thx
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 572
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:25 am
Thanked: 21 times

by reachac » Sat Jul 12, 2008 12:01 am
IMO B

@ Raunekk .... Anybody taking a desicion will comply by his/her own decision, rite? so their should not be used to refer the members instead its be used to refer to the organization an a whole. I think probably that was ur confusion buddy?
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 340
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 8:09 am
Location: India
Thanked: 6 times

by kiranlegend » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:17 am
reachac wrote:IMO B

@ Raunekk .... Anybody taking a desicion will comply by his/her own decision, rite? so their should not be used to refer the members instead its be used to refer to the organization an a whole. I think probably that was ur confusion buddy?
yo mate you are right!

let me explain to the extent my lil brain understood:
the sentence is like a doubled subject one (but can't call it that way i guess :P ): The members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

members is one subject and Organization is the another one that is substituted by its, a possesive pronoun. Is it ok to say like this?:P
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 399
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:48 am
Location: india
Thanked: 39 times

by xcusemeplz2009 » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:06 am
reopening this one can any one explain wats the actual subject and wats the correct ans
It does not matter how many times you get knocked down , but how many times you get up
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1161
Joined: Mon May 12, 2008 2:52 amFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Sydney
Thanked: 23 times

by mehravikas » Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:12 pm
IMO - A
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:57 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 15 times
GMAT Score:690

by crackgmat007 » Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:31 pm
A for me too. IMO antecedent must be a noun & must be functioning as a subject or object.

Can anyone clarify whether a pronoun can refer to a noun that doesnt function as a subject or object of the verb? If this is not a rule, then I guess, B may be right.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 5:31 am
Location: Bangalore
GMAT Score:730

by nikhilgirdhar » Sun Oct 11, 2009 2:28 am
xcusemeplz2009 wrote:reopening this one can any one explain wats the actual subject and wats the correct ans
IMO B.

the sentence talks about complying with the decisions(of the organization).

Complying with one's own decisions(members complying with their decisions) makes no sense. If it's their own decision obviously they will go by it, but the decision of the organization may not be the decision of all the members still members will comply by it's decision.

Seems more of a CR question to me :)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 153
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:48 pm
Location: Ohio
Thanked: 16 times

Re: its vs their?

by JeffB » Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:15 am
kiranlegend wrote:The members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries usually comply with their decisions, which are designed to maximize the long term profits of member nations.


their decisions, which are designed to maximize

its decisions, which are designed to maximize

their decisions that are designed for the maximization of

its decisions that are designed for the maximization of

its decisions, designed as they are to maximize
I always try to take the core of the sentence and the errors usually jump out at me. Subject, verb, object

The members comply with their decisions?

The member comply with its decisions...?

They're complying with the decisions of the organization, which is singular.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 1161
Joined: Mon May 12, 2008 2:52 amFollowed by: 1 member
Location: Sydney
Thanked: 23 times

Re: its vs their?

by mehravikas » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:09 pm
I think in this sentence members are complying with their own decisions not the decision of the organization.

JeffB wrote:
kiranlegend wrote:The members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries usually comply with their decisions, which are designed to maximize the long term profits of member nations.


their decisions, which are designed to maximize

its decisions, which are designed to maximize

their decisions that are designed for the maximization of

its decisions that are designed for the maximization of

its decisions, designed as they are to maximize
I always try to take the core of the sentence and the errors usually jump out at me. Subject, verb, object

The members comply with their decisions?

The member comply with its decisions...?

They're complying with the decisions of the organization, which is singular.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 171
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2009 8:59 pm
Thanked: 8 times

B

by brick2009 » Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:43 pm
Can you please post the OA.

I think its A.

Isolating the core.. can help you find the relative sub-verb relation.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 73
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:37 pm

i confuse!

by kiennguyen » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:12 am
anyone please explain me!

in my lit knowledge, the comma before "which" in B means that "which" refer to the previous sentence. however, i think "which" refer to "decisions" in this situation. therefore, i chose D.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 2:39 am
GMAT Score:620

by gmat620 » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:05 am
I think its B, since the 'its' refers to the organisation. Substitute organisation in place of pronoun and you would see that there's no prob wid its
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked