In Death Valley National Park’s Racetrack Playa, a flat, dry lakebed, are 162 rocks-some weighing less than a pound but

Question

In Death Valley National Park&rsquo;s Racetrack Playa, a flat, dry lakebed, are 162 rocks-some weighing less than a pound but others almost 700 pounds-that move periodically from place to place, seemingly of their own volition. Racetrack-like trails in the ______ blank mysterious migration. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Accepted Answer

Choice C is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns. The singular possessive noun &ldquo;playa&rsquo;s&rdquo; and the plural possessive noun &ldquo;rocks&rsquo;&rdquo; correctly indie that the sediment is that of one playa (the Racetrack Playa) and that there are multiple rocks that have mysteriously migrated across the sediment. Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun &ldquo;playa&rsquo;s&rdquo; and the plural possessive noun &ldquo;rocks&rsquo;,&rdquo; not the plural noun &ldquo;playas&rdquo; and the singular possessive noun &ldquo;rock&rsquo;s.&rdquo; Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun &ldquo;rocks&rsquo;,&rdquo; not the plural noun &ldquo;rocks.&rdquo; Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun &ldquo;playa&rsquo;s,&rdquo; not the plural possessive noun &ldquo;playas&rsquo;.&rdquo;

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