(1) In 1845, the potato crop in Ireland failed. (2) Potatoes were such an important crop that the blight led to a significant population decline over the next several years. (3) With no potato crops, everyone lost their main source of nourishment. (4) The death toll from 1845 to 1848 was at least 700,000. (5) From 1846 to 1854, almost 2 million people willingly left Ireland to get away from the suffering. (6) They packed their belongings and set out in search of a better life. (7) Many of them, almost three-quarters, headed to the United States.
(8) Today, they think the famine was actually caused by a fungus that traveled to Ireland from North America on the hulls of ships. (9) The U.S. had similar crop failures in the early 1840s.
3
What is the best way to rewrite sentence 8 in order to correct the ambiguous pronoun?
A.
Today, historians think the famine was actually caused by a fungus that traveled to Ireland from North America on the hulls of ships.
B.
Today, them think the famine was actually caused by a fungus that traveled to Ireland from North America on the hulls of ships.
C.
Today, he or she thinks the famine was actually caused by a fungus that traveled to Ireland from North America on the hulls of ships.
D.
Today, they and others think the famine was actually caused by a fungus that traveled to Ireland from North America on the hulls of ships.
1 answer
The best way to rewrite sentence 8 in order to correct the ambiguous pronoun is:
A. Today, historians think the famine was actually caused by a fungus that traveled to Ireland from North America on the hulls of ships.
This option clarifies who "they" refers to, making the sentence clear and specific.
