The Aga Khan Master Musicians is a group of musicians who are experts in both classical Western music and the ancient traditional music of their homelands. The ______—the Chinese pipa, the long-necked lute of Central Asia, the Arabic qanun, and the Uzbek doira—are more likely to be found in museums than on performance stages.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Correct
Incorrect
A glance at the answer choices with the shifting apostrophes indicates this Standard English Conventions question is testing apostrophe usage. Since there are two words in the choices, work systematically. As you read the text from the beginning, start by thinking, "Is there one 'musician' or multiple 'musicians'"? The first sentence refers to a "group of musicians," so eliminate (C) that indicates one musician possesses an instrument. Next, refer back to the text and notice that "the musicians" possess "instruments." Choice (A) correctly uses the apostrophe after the -s in "musicians" to indicate possession by a plural noun and is the answer. Incorrect choice (B) indicates possession by multiple "instruments"; incorrect choice (D) contains two plural nouns and ignores that multiple "musicians" possess the instruments.
