Garden Food

[fighting_cax]

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.

[awesomeusername]

The subject is "two out of five households". Since "two out of five" implies more than one, I believe it's considered plural. Thus the pronoun used should be "their", not "its". So B and E are out.

To say that those households will harvest food from "A vegetable garden" makes it sound like they will all use the same vegetable garden. Thus we need to use "vegetable gardenS". So A is out.

We are left with C or D.

For C, it sounds like they will all use the same backyard or city lot. Again, by using "a backyard or a city lot" implies that they will use a particular backyard or city lot.

Therefore, I believe D is the best answer.

[umaa]

IMO D. I agree with awesomeusername.

[avonmore]

D imo

[nervesofsteel]

Yes should be D only...

a backyard can refer to ONE PARTICULAR Backyard

[casfguy]

will go with A
vegetable gardens sounds like everyone has more than one gardens.

[earth@work]

IMO D

(A) their own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots...... means one veg. garden
(B) its(singular- should be plural) own food from a vegetable garden in backyards and city lots
(C) their own food from vegetable gardens in a (incorrect Singular) backyard or a city lot
(D) their own food from vegetable gardens in backyards or city lots CORRECT
(E) its(should be plural-their) own food from a vegetable garden in a backyard or a city lot

[dreamzz2010]

IMO D

whts the OA???

[raunekk]

D for sure..