Exercise 1: 'Where There Is a Wheel'

Pudukkottai is a district in Tamil Nadu where (a) thousands of women learnt cycling. Jameela Bibi, who (b) was in her early twenties, said that cycling was her right. The women rode gents' cycles which (c) had an extra bar for a child. They (d) trained other learners free of charge. Arivoli gave cycling social sanction, and it (e) spread across the whole district.

Side B: i) Pudukkottai · ii) Tamil Nadu · iii) Jameela Bibi · iv) gents' cycles · v) the women · vi) cycling

Answers

Pronoun Answer Why
a) where i) Pudukkottai The place being described is the district itself, not the state.
b) who iii) Jameela Bibi Who follows her name.
c) which iv) gents' cycles Which is for things and follows "gents' cycles".
d) They v) the women Plural; the women trained others.
e) it vi) cycling It stands for the activity the sentence is about.

Left unused: ii) Tamil Nadu.

Exercise 2: 'The Voter'

Umuofia was a village where (a) Marcus Ibe was born. Marcus, who (b) had once been a school teacher, became a minister. He built a house which (c) was the biggest in the area. The elders accepted the coins that Roof placed before them (d). It (e) was the day of the election.

Side B: i) Umuofia · ii) Marcus Ibe · iii) the house · iv) the elders · v) the coins · vi) the day of the election

Answers: a - i · b - ii · c - iii · d - iv · e - vi (Left unused: v, the coins. In (d), "them" is the object of "before", so it stands for the people in front of whom the coins were placed.)

Exercise 3: 'Water'

The wada is the locality where (a) the dalits live. The panchama, who (b) had no right to draw water, waited all day. He carried an empty pot which (c) a shudra later filled from a distance. They (d) bathed only once a week. It (e) felt like a festival to them.

Side B: i) the wada · ii) the panchama · iii) the empty pot · iv) a shudra · v) the dalits · vi) the weekly bath

Answers

Pronoun Answer Why
a) where i) the wada A place, named just before where.
b) who ii) the panchama Who follows "The panchama".
c) which iii) the empty pot A thing, named just before which.
d) They v) the dalits Plural; the community, not one person.
e) It vi) the weekly bath It sums up the event of the previous sentence.

Left unused: iv) a shudra.

Exercise 4: 'Japan and Brazil Through a Traveller's Eye'

George Mikes visited Japan, where (a) everyone bowed to everyone. A deer in Nara, which (b) bowed to him deeply, snatched his (c) food-bag. In Brazil, drivers took aim at the pedestrians, who (d) ran for dear life. Their (e) war was murderous but good-tempered.

Side B: i) Japan · ii) Nara · iii) the deer · iv) George Mikes · v) the pedestrians · vi) the drivers

Answers: a - i · b - iii · c - iv · d - v · e - vi (Left unused: ii, Nara. In (c) the possessive "his" belongs to the visitor whose bag was snatched, not to the deer.)

Exercise 5: Name the Referent

Write what each pronoun in bold stands for.

Sentence Referent
Fatima hired a cycle because she could not afford one. Fatima
The elders looked at the coins but did not touch them. the coins
Roof closed the door and returned to his chair. Roof
Kannammal said that cycling gave women confidence, and that was the main thing. the confidence cycling gave
The Malapalle burnt because there was no water to save it. the Malapalle
Suvarthamma lifted her pot; it became her shield. her pot
The villagers told themselves that they had underrated the ballot. the villagers
Mikes bowed too, but he always did so wrongly. bowing

Exercise 6: Spot the Error in Reference

Wrong Right Why
The students wore its best dresses. The students wore their best dresses. Plural owners take their.
The chief guest which sang folk songs… The chief guest who sang folk songs… Who is used for people.
The auditorium when the day was held… The auditorium where the day was held… Where is for a place.
The women rode cycles who had an extra bar. The women rode cycles which had an extra bar. Which is for things.
Marcus gave Roof a robe because himself was pleased. Marcus gave Roof a robe because he was pleased. A reflexive cannot be the subject.
The songs was enjoyed by the students, and they was memorable. … and they were memorable. A plural pronoun takes a plural verb.

[Exam Tip] — Three checks catch nearly every mistake: person or thing, one or many, and the word immediately before the pronoun. Do those three and the five marks are safe.