Read the passage and answer the question. "Siti asked Priya if she could borrow her dictionary, but she said she needed it for her own revision. Siti nodded and went to ask Mr Tan instead." In the first sentence, what does the FIRST use of the pronoun "she" refer to?
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Worked Solution
Step 1: Identify the first use of "she" in the sentence.
"Siti asked Priya if she could borrow her dictionary…"
First "she" — immediately after "if".
Step 2: Find the possible referents.
Two female nouns appear before this pronoun: Siti and Priya.
Step 3: Apply logic.
Siti is asking the question. The clause "if she could borrow her dictionary" is Siti's request — she is asking whether SHE (Siti) is allowed to borrow. Siti is the one who wants to borrow, so the first "she" = Siti.
Step 4: Confirm with the rest of the sentence.
"but she said she needed it for her own revision" — here the second "she" = Priya (the one replying and refusing). The contrast between first and second "she" confirms that the first "she" = Siti.
Answer: Siti
Correct answer: Siti
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