This fall two out of five households in the United States will harvest some of their own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots.
(A) their own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots
(B) its own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots
(C) their own food from vegetable gardens in a backyard or a city lot
(D) their own food from vegetable gardens in backyards or city lots
(E) its own food from a vegetable garden in a backyard or a city lot
Please explain your answer choice and possibly what's wrong with the others.
OA: D
Thanks.
Singular..Plural
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would agree with D
B & E are out because of its being used for 2 (out of 5) households.
Rest of them have to be plural. We are talking about different types of foods for the requirement of different households. Different types of food can be obtained only from multiple gardens in backyardS or city lotS.
Another reasoning is this is a general statement, implying to a lot of households in US hence all them cannot obtain their food from a single garden in single backyard or city lot.
My two cents.
B & E are out because of its being used for 2 (out of 5) households.
Rest of them have to be plural. We are talking about different types of foods for the requirement of different households. Different types of food can be obtained only from multiple gardens in backyardS or city lotS.
Another reasoning is this is a general statement, implying to a lot of households in US hence all them cannot obtain their food from a single garden in single backyard or city lot.
My two cents.
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'two out of 5 households' is plural so we need 'their' and not 'its'.
Hence eliminate B and E.
(A) their own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots
This seems to mean as if there is one common vegetable garden in all backyards and city lots. Hence we need the plural form of 'vegetable gardens' and not singular.
(C) their own food from vegetable gardens in a backyard or a city lot
Again we are talking about multiple backyards and city lots, so we need plural form and not singular.
Hence eliminate B and E.
(A) their own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots
This seems to mean as if there is one common vegetable garden in all backyards and city lots. Hence we need the plural form of 'vegetable gardens' and not singular.
(C) their own food from vegetable gardens in a backyard or a city lot
Again we are talking about multiple backyards and city lots, so we need plural form and not singular.