With its towering, six-spired exterior of granitelike quartz monzonite, the Salt Lake Temple is one of the most instantly
recognizable structures in the state of Utah. However, many people do not know that ______ built over the course of forty
years, with construction beginning in 1853 and ending in 1893.
it was
one was
they were
both were
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The singular pronoun "it" agrees
in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple."
Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun "one" is ambiguous in this context; the resulting sentence leaves unclear
whether there is only one Salt Lake temple or multiple. Choice C is incorrect because the plural pronoun "they" doesn’t agree
in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple." Choice D is incorrect because the plural pronoun "both"
doesn’t agree in number with the singular antecedent "the Salt Lake Temple."