UNDERSTANDING WORD REFERENCE

Reference of IT, THEY, ITS, THEIR, and THEM

The word reference comes from the verb to refer, which means to relate. A referent is the
noun that a pronoun or a possessive adjective refers to. The noun is generally used first,
and the pronoun that it refers to comes after. Some questions in the Reading
Comprehension section of the paper-based TOEFL® test ask you to point out the referent
of a pronoun (it, they or them), or of a possessive adjective (its or their). The referent
can be found in the phrase(s) or sentence(s) before the pronoun or the possessive
adjective. In some cases, the referent might come after it.

Example
Line Many scientists think that dolphins, closely related to whales and porpoises,
are among the most intelligent animals. Humans train in captivity these friendly
creatures, which are eager to interact with them. When dolphins are well trained,
they can jump through hoops, throw balls through nets, and even walk backward
5 on the water.
Just as whales and porpoises are, dolphins are mammals. They feed their
young with milk produced profusely in the mother’s body. Unlike fish, dolphins
have lungs and are warm-blooded. Regardless of the temperature of the
surroundings, their temperature always stays about the same.
10 There are about 40 species of dolphins known to exist in Earth’s oceans and
freshwater rivers. But the bottle-nosed dolphin and the common dolphin are much
better known. Scientists have tried to understand dolphin intelligence and they
have done research mainly with these two species. The bottle-nosed dolphin has a
short beak. It makes the dolphin look like it is smiling. The common dolphin has a
15 dark band down its long, narrow beak and around its eyes.
Adapted from The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, Volume 4

Sample questions
1. The word “them” in line 3 refers to _______.
(A) scientists
(B) animals
(C) humans
(D) creatures

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2. The phrase “their temperature” in line 9 refers to the temperature of _______.
(A) fish
(B) dolphins
(C) lungs
(D) surroundings

3. The word “they” in line 12 refers to _______ .

(A) dolphins
(B) oceans
(C) rivers
(D) scientists

4. The word “It” in line 14 refers to _______.

(A) dolphin intelligence
(B) research
(C) the bottle-nosed dolphin
(D) a short beak

5. The word “its” in line 15 refers to _______.

(A) the bottle-nosed dolphin
(B) the common dolphin
(C) a dark band
(D) long, narrow beak

Explanation
1. Look for plural nouns before the pronoun them. The nouns creatures, humans,
animals, and scientists are all plural nouns, but the logical noun that can be replaced
by the pronoun them is humans. Therefore, (C) is the correct answer.
2. Do the same thing. You should look for plural nouns before the word their. The
plural nouns before their are surroundings, lungs, dolphins, and fish. The noun that
can correctly be replaced by the word their in relation to temperature is dolphins. The
right answer is (B).
3. The plural nouns before they are scientists, rivers, oceans, and dolphins. The plural
noun that can best be replaced by they is scientists, so the correct answer is (D).
4. Do the same thing, but this time, look for singular nouns. The singular nouns before
the pronoun it are a short beak, the bottle-nosed dolphin, research, and dolphin
intelligence. The noun that can best replace the pronoun it is a short beak. So, the
right answer is (D).
5. The singular nouns that come before the word its are the long, narrow beak, a dark
band, the common dolphin, and the bottle-nosed dolphin. The noun that can best be
substituted by its is the common dolphin. Therefore, the answer is (B).

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 Strategies

1. Find the pronoun in the reading passage in the line that is stated in the question.
2. The pronoun it and the possessive adjective its refer to a singular noun such as a
thing, an animal, or a plant. The pronouns they and them, and the possessive
adjective their, refer to a plural noun such as things, animals, plants or people.
3. Read the phrase(s) or sentence(s) before the pronoun.
4. Look carefully for only plural nouns or singular nouns, depending on the
pronoun or the possessive adjective.
5. Decide which of the nouns can correctly be replaced by the pronoun.

Exercise 1
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Line Tooth decay occurs when the teeth are frequently exposed to foods
containing carbohydrates such as starches and sugar. Such foods include soda
pop, cake and sticky fruit.
There are at least two ways people can do to prevent tooth decay. The first is
5 to pay attention to their diet. What people eat plays a very important role in the
overall well being of the mouth. Eliminating sugar from the diet will prevent the
formation of cavities that usually develop on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth
and on the surfaces of teeth where they touch one another. Another way to
prevent tooth decay is to keep the teeth clean. People should brush their teeth
10 immediately after eating to remove food particles. Daily brushing helps the teeth
stay clean, stimulstes the gums, and keeps them firm. Teeth tend to decay on
touching surfaces, and the area between two teeth because it is difficult to clean
between them with a toothbrush. Using dental floss is highly recommended to
clean between the teeth.
Adapted from The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 19

1. The word “they” in line 8 refers to _______.

(A) people
(B) cavities
(C) surfaces
(D) teeth

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2. The word “them” in line 11 refers to _______.
(A) people
(B) particles
(C) teeth
(D) gums

Exercise 2
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Line Moons, known as a planet’ satellites, are balls of rocks encircling a planet.
They formed from the materials of the heavenly bodies they orbit, such as Earth’s
moon, or from similar materials that glommed together and gave birth to their
planets. Other moons are asteroids captured into orbit by the gravity of larger
5 heavenly bodies. No matter how they formed, the moons are many. Earth has
one, Mars two, Neptune thirteen, and Uranus 27. Jupiter has 63 known moons
and Saturn has at least 60. Only Mercury and Venus are moonless.
The best known moon is the one in orbit around Earth. According to a
leading theory, a Mars-size object smacked Earth about 4.5 billion years ago and
10 the debris from the collision accumulated to form the moon. It is Earth's only
natural satellite and the only extraterrestrial body that humans have visited. The
moon lacks an atmosphere, but spacecraft have found water ice at both poles,
deposited from impacting comets. Gravity on the moon is one-sixth of that of
Earth, allowing astronauts to take giant leaps on its surface.
Adapted from science.national geographic.com

1. The word “their” in line 3 refers to the planets of _______.

(A) moons
(B) satellites
(C) heavenly bodies
(D) similar materials

2. The word “It” in line 10 refers to _______.

(A) theory
(B) object
(C) collision
(D) the moon

3. The word “its” in line 14 refers to the surface of _______.

(A) atmosphere
(B) ice
(C) the moon
(D) Earth

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Exercise 3
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Line The Saint Lawrence Seaway is formed by the Saint Lawrence River and several
lakes and canals. Ships use the seaway to sail between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Great Lakes. Initial construction began in 1954. It involved cooperation from the
Canadian and American governments.
5 One of the first construction problems was moving the people who lived
nearby the canals and lakes. They had to move because the area had to be
flooded to provide sufficient depth and power pools. The Canadian side, which
was densely populated, presented more problems since the flooding of this section
involved the movement of 6,500 people to other towns. But, unlike the situation on
10 Canadian side, the American side did not present much of the relocation difficulty
because of its thin population.
Adapted from The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, Volume 10

1. The word “It” in line 3 refers to _______.

(A) the Saint Lawrence Seaway
(B) the Atlantic Ocean
(C) the Saint Lawrence River
(D) initial construction

2. The word “They” in line 6 refers to _______.

(A) problems
(B) people
(C) canals
(D) lakes

3. The word “its” in line 11 refers to _______.

(A) the movement
(B) the Canadian side
(C) the American side
(D) the relocation difficulty

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Exercise 4
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Line Mount Rushmore Memorial is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 23
miles southwest of Rapid City. The mountain was named after a New York lawyer,
Charles E. Rushmore. On its rocky cliff is a huge carving that shows the faces of
four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and
5 Theodore Roosevelt. The sculptor Gutzon Borglum carved the faces.
Borglum selected the mountain because of its several features such as its
height, its exposure to the sun, and its granite’s soft consistency. His choice of the
presidents was based on the reputations that they had established. George
Washington represents the struggle for independence; Thomas Jefferson stands for
10 the idea of government by the people; Abraham Lincoln symbolizes equality for all
human beings; and Theodore Roosevelt denotes the role of the United States in
world affairs in the 20th century.
The carving of Mount Rushmore actually began on August 10, 1927 and
continued for more than 14 years. Workers used drills and dynamite to cut the
15 figures into a cliff. The total cost of the project was $900,000. Borglum died in
1942 before it was completed and his son, Lincoln, finished the work.
Adapted from mtrushmore.net

1. The word “its” in line 3 refers to the rocky cliff of _______.

(A) The mountain
(B) Black Hills
(C) South Dakota
(D) Rapid City

2. The word “they” in line 8 refers to _______.

(A) faces
(B) features
(C) presidents
(D) reputations

3. The word “it” in line 16 refers to _______.

(A) Mount Rushmore
(B) dynamite
(C) cliff
(D) project

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Exercise 5
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Line Down’s syndrome, formerly called Mongolism, is a disorder that is present at

birth. It is characterized by mental retardation and physical deficiencies such as
upward-slanting eyes, a flat nose, short stubby hands, and abnormally shaped
teeth. In addition, it is usually accompanied by heart disorders, poor vision, and
5 respiratory problems.
People suffering from Down’s syndrome have an abnormal number of
chromosomes in their cells. Chromosomes hold genes, the tiny structures that
determine heredity traits. Before babies are born, scientists can confirm whether
they have the abnormality by using a special test. The risk of giving birth to a child
10 afflicted by Down’s syndrome increases greatly after women reach the age of 45.
They should be put under the care of gynecologists.
Children with Down’s syndrome can be trained and can develop their full
potential within the limit of their disability. Parents usually send them to foster
homes where they get proper treatment. However, many experts recommend that
15 children with less serious disabilities live at home because studies show that if they
are reared at home, they have a higher IQ and achieve more than those raised in
institutions.
Adapted from The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 5

1. The word “it” in line 4 refers to _______.

(A) Down’s syndrome
(B) birth
(C) mental retardation
(D) physical deficiency

2. The word “they” in line 9 refers to _______.

(A) genes
(B) traits
(C) babies
(D) scientists

3. The pronoun “they” in line 16 refers to _______.

(A) parents
(B) foster homes
(C) experts
(D) children

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 SUPPLEMENTARY Exercises

Supplementary Exercise 1
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.

Line In some ways, a hurricane is like a person: after growing and developing, it
becomes old and dies. A hurricane has a character of its own and it follows its
own path. People remember a hurricane long after it is gone, so it seems natural
to give a hurricane a name and to talk about it as if it were alive.
5 Using women’s names became the practice during World War II, following
the use of a woman’s name for a storm in the 1941 novel Storm by George R.
Stewart. In it, a weatherman amused himself by naming storms after beautiful
women he knew. He named one Maria. The story describes how Maria grew and
developed, and how she changed the lives of people when she struck the United
10 States. The naming of hurricanes continued when the United States Army and
Navy weathermen who studied weather conditions over the Pacific Ocean also
named hurricanes after women during World War II. One of their duties was to
warn American ships and planes when a storm was coming. Whenever a storm
was spotted, they gave it a female name. The practice of using female names
15 exclusively ended in 1978 when names from both genders were used to designate
storms in the eastern Pacific. A year later, male names were included in the lists for
the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
Adapted from Science Research Associates, 1963

1. The word “it” in line 7 refers to _______.

(A) practice
(B) name
(C) storm
(D) novel

2. The phrase “their duties” in line 12 refers to the duties of _______.

(A) people
(B) Army
(C) weathermen
(D) women

3. The word “they” in line 14 refers to _______.

(A) weathermen
(B) conditions
(C) ships
(D) planes

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Supplementary Exercise 2
Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions.
Line What is the origin of Halloween? Halloween, celebrated on October 31,
developed from new year festivals and ancient festivals of the dead. One of the
sources of present-day Halloween celebrations is the Celtic Festival of Samhain, a
festival that honored Saman, the Celtic lord of death. The festival occurred in late
5 October and early November—the time for letting go of the old and for looking
ahead to the new. It marked the beginning of the season of cold, darkness, and
decay. Naturally associated with human death, Samhain was celebrated by the
Celts who lived more than 2,000 years ago in what are now Great Britain, Ireland,
and northern France. On the evening of the festival, the Druids, who were the
10 priests and teachers of the Celts, ordered people to put out their hearth fires. The
Druids built a huge new year’s bonfire of oak branches, which they considered
sacred. Then the hearth fire in every family was relit from it. During this
celebration, people sometimes wore costumes made of animal heads and skins.
Halloween experienced more changes when the Romans conquered the Celts
15 in 43 A.D. and ruled for about 400 years. During this period, the Celtic festival of
Samhain was combined with two Roman autumn festivals. One of them, called
Ferallia, was held in late October to honor the dead. The other festival honored
Pamona, the Roman goddess of fruit and apples. It seems likely that apples first
became associated with Halloween because of this festival.
Adapted from The World Book Encyclopedia, Volume 9

1. The word “it” in line 6 refers to _______.

(A) the time
(B) the festival
(C) the old
(D) the new
2. The word “their” in line 10 refers to _______.
(A) Druids
(B) priests
(C) teachers
(D) people
3. The word “it” in line 12 refers to _______.
(A) celebration
(B) festival
(C) new year’s bonfire
(D) family
4. The word “them” in line 16 refers to _______.
(A) changes
(B) the Romans
(C) the Celts
(D) Roman autumn festivals

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