PSAT Writing and Language Question 316: Answer and Explanation

Question: 316

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. residents call's
• C. resident's calls
• D. residents' calls

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

Apostrophes are changing in the answer choices, so the question is testing apostrophe usage. When used with a noun, on the PSAT 8/9, an apostrophe indicates possession. In this sentence, the calls belong to residents, so an apostrophe is needed after residents but not after calls. In addition, because residents is plural, the apostrophe should be placed after the s. Eliminate (A) and (B) because neither contains the apostrophe on residents. Eliminate (C) because the apostrophe is before the s, which indicates a singular noun. This would imply only one resident, which is not correct. Choice (D) correctly places the apostrophe after the s. The correct answer is (D).