Researchers studying coastal ecosystems have discovered that various ocean ______ determine the resilience of coral reefs to temperature changes.

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

• Researchers studying coastal ecosystems
  • have discovered
    • that various ocean [?]
      • determine the resilience of coral reefs to temperature changes.
• [?] = current's / currents / currents' ... thermal properties / property's

Understanding the Meaning

The sentence tells us about a scientific discovery:

• Researchers who study coastal ecosystems
  • have found something

What did they discover?

• That various ocean _____ determine how resilient coral reefs are to temperature changes

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

• A) current's thermal properties
• B) currents thermal properties
• C) currents' thermal property's
• D) currents' thermal properties

To see what works here, let's understand what the sentence is really saying!

The sentence is telling us:

• Something about ocean currents affects how well coral reefs handle temperature changes
• Specifically, it's the thermal properties (heat-related characteristics) of these currents

Now let's break down what we need:

• "Various ocean ______"
  • "Various" means "many different" or "multiple"
  • So we need the PLURAL form: "currents" (not the singular "current")
• What's the relationship between "currents" and "thermal properties"?
  • The properties BELONG TO the currents
  • We're talking about the thermal properties OF the ocean currents
  • This is a possessive relationship
• How do we show possession with a plural noun that ends in 's'?
  • We add just an apostrophe after the 's': currents'
  • This gives us "currents' thermal properties" = the thermal properties of the currents
• Does "properties" need an apostrophe?
  • No! "Properties" is what's being possessed, not what's possessing
  • It's just a regular plural noun describing multiple characteristics
  • Only the possessor (currents) gets the apostrophe

So we need: currents' thermal properties (Choice D)

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Showing Possession: When to Use Apostrophes

When something belongs to or is associated with something else, we use an apostrophe to show that possessive relationship. The key principle: only the possessor (the owner) gets the apostrophe, not what is possessed.

Pattern for Plural Possessives:

When you have a plural noun that already ends in 's' and you want to show possession:

• Just add an apostrophe after the 's'

Examples:

• The properties of the currents → the currents' properties
• The decisions of the leaders → the leaders' decisions
• The opinions of the students → the students' opinions

In this question:

• We're talking about thermal properties that belong to ocean currents
• "Currents" is plural (because of "various")
• It already ends in 's'
• So we add just an apostrophe: currents'
• "Properties" is simply what's being described - it's not possessing anything, so it gets no apostrophe

Remember: If you find yourself wanting to add an apostrophe to the second noun (the thing being possessed), stop! That's a red flag. Only the possessor gets the apostrophe.

VERIFICATION OUTPUT

Content Genre: Sciences

Grammar Concept Tested: Possessives/Apostrophes

Sentence Complexity: Moderate

Pattern: B