The dog buried its bone in the backyard near the fence. Later, it forgot where the bone was hidden and spent an hour searching for the treasure.
In the passage, what is the antecedent for each use of the pronoun 'it'?
- First 'it' refers to the bone; second 'it' refers to the dog searching diligently.
- First 'it' refers to the dog; second 'it' refers to the dog searching diligently. (correct answer)
- First 'it' refers to the backyard; second 'it' refers to the bone's location.
- First 'it' refers to the fence; second 'it' refers to the treasure being found.
Explanation: Both instances of 'it' refer to 'the dog.' The first 'it' shows the dog forgot, and the second 'it' shows the dog spent time searching. The bone cannot forget something, and the backyard and fence are not logical subjects for these actions. The pronoun must refer to the same animate subject capable of forgetting and searching.