Public-awareness campaigns about the need to reduce single-use plastics can be successful, says researcher Kim Borg of
Monash University in Australia, when these campaigns give consumers a choice: for example, Japan achieved a 40 percent
reduction in plastic-bag use after cashiers were instructed to ask customers whether ______ wanted a bag.
they
one
you
it
Choice A is the best answer. The convention being tested is pronoun–antecedent agreement. The plural pronoun “they”
agrees in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”
Choice B is incorrect because the singular pronoun “one” doesn’t agree in number with the plural antecedent “customers.”
Choice C is incorrect because the second person pronoun “you” isn’t conventional as a substitute for “customers.” It
suggests that the audience (“you”) is the customer. Choice D is incorrect because the singular pronoun “it” doesn’t agree in
number with the plural antecedent “customers.”