Chef Maria Torres developed her signature appetizer by carefully selecting microgreens and arranging them in concentric circles around the _______...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

Sentence 1:

• Chef Maria Torres developed her signature appetizer
  • by carefully selecting microgreens and
  • arranging them in concentric circles
    • around the [?plate/plates][?'s/s'][?edge/edges][?'s/.]

Sentence 2:

• After plating,
• the vibrant colors and delicate textures
  • created a visually striking presentation
    • that became the restaurant's most photographed dish.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's read from the beginning:

The sentence tells us about Chef Maria Torres and her signature appetizer:

• She developed it by carefully selecting microgreens
• Then arranging them in concentric circles
  • (concentric circles means circles within circles, all sharing the same center)
• Around the ______

This is where we have the blank. Let's look at the choices:

• A. plates edges'
• B. plate's edges.
• C. plates' edge's.
• D. plate's edge's.

So we're deciding about the form of "plate" and "edge" - singular vs. plural, and whether apostrophes are needed.

To see what works here, let's read the second sentence too and understand the complete picture!

The second sentence tells us:

• "After plating, the vibrant colors and delicate textures created a visually striking presentation that became the restaurant's most photographed dish."
• This is talking about ONE dish - "the restaurant's most photographed dish"
• The singular "presentation" and "dish" confirm we're describing one appetizer

Now let's think about what we need:

Since we're talking about ONE signature appetizer:

• It would be on ONE plate, not multiple plates
• So "plate" should be singular

Now, what's the relationship here?

• The microgreens are arranged around the edges OF the plate
• The edges belong to the plate
• So we need to show this belonging relationship: "plate's"
  • This uses apostrophe + s to show possession

What about "edges"?

• A plate has edges all around its perimeter (more than one edge)
• So "edges" should be plural

Does "edges" need an apostrophe?

• No - the edges don't possess anything
• They're simply the object of the preposition "around"
• The sentence ends here with a period

So we need: plate's edges. - Choice B

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Using Apostrophes to Show Possession

When something belongs to or is associated with another thing, we use an apostrophe + s ('s) on the word that "owns" or is associated with the other thing (called the possessive form in grammar terms):

Pattern: When X belongs to Y, write: Y's X

Examples:

• The edges of the plate → the plate's edges
• The dish of the restaurant → the restaurant's most photographed dish
• The appetizer of the chef → the chef's signature appetizer

Key principle: Only the first noun (the "owner") needs the apostrophe. The thing being owned doesn't get an apostrophe unless it also owns something else.

In our question:

• The edges belong to the plate
• So we write: plate's edges (not "plate's edge's")
• The edges are simply the thing belonging to the plate - they don't possess anything themselves