Cheng Dang and her colleagues at the University of Washington recently ran simulations to determine the extent to which individual snow _____ affect the amount of light reflecting off a snowy surface.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Explanation
Context: "to determine the extent to which individual snow __ affect the amount of light." Two nouns: "grains'" (the physical properties belong to the grains — plural possessive) and "properties" (plain plural, they affect light — no ownership).
Answer: B) grains' physical properties
Why? "Grains'" = plural possessive (multiple grains own their physical properties). "Properties" = plain plural (no ownership needed).
Traps:
- A) grain's physical properties' → singular possessive on "grain" (multiple grains); apostrophe on "properties'" is wrong
- C) grains' physical property's → correct "grains'" but "property's" should be plural "properties"
- D) grains physical properties → missing apostrophe on "grains"; they own the properties