PSAT Writing and Language Question 295: Answer and Explanation

Question: 295

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. character’s
• C. characters
• D. characters’s

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

Difficulty: Medium

Getting to the Answer: This question concerns correct apostrophe placement in a possessive noun. You know the underlined word must be in a possessive form because the sentence is referring to the "unwillingness" of the characters; eliminate (C). There are many other characters in Madame Bovary— her husband, her household, and her family are all mentioned in the passage. (A) is correct because it is the correct way to punctuate a plural possessive: place the apostrophe immediately after the letter that makes the word plural. (B) is incorrect because it is a singular possessive. (D) is not written with the correct structure for a plural possessive.