Software engineers at the tech startup work independently during initial development phases, but regular code reviews and collaborative debugging sess...

Sentence Structure

• Software engineers at the tech startup
  • work independently
    • during initial development phases,
  • but regular code reviews and collaborative debugging sessions
    • encourage (?)
      • to integrate their solutions
        • into a unified system architecture.
• Where (?) = them / those / it / these

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start from the beginning:

'Software engineers at the tech startup work independently during initial development phases'

• So we have software engineers who work on their own at first
• Each engineer is doing their own thing during the initial phase

Now the sentence continues with 'but':

• This signals a contrast - something different happens

'but regular code reviews and collaborative debugging sessions encourage _____ to integrate their solutions into a unified system architecture'

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

• them / those / it / these
• These are all pronouns - words that refer back to something already mentioned

To see what works here, let's understand what this part is saying:

• Code reviews and debugging sessions encourage [someone/something]
• What are they encouraging? To integrate their solutions
• Whose solutions? Notice it says "their solutions"

Now, what do we notice?

• The pronoun we need is the object of "encourage" - what is being encouraged
• Looking back at the sentence, who has solutions to integrate?
  • The software engineers from the beginning of the sentence
• "Their solutions" confirms we're talking about multiple people (that's why it says "their" not "his" or "its")
• So we need a pronoun that:
  • Refers back to "software engineers" (plural)
  • Works as the object of "encourage"

The correct answer is them because it's the plural object pronoun that clearly refers back to "software engineers at the tech startup."

The complete meaning: Engineers work independently at first, but then these review sessions encourage the engineers (them) to bring their individual work together into one unified system.

Grammar Concept Applied

Choosing the Right Pronoun: Agreement and Function

When a pronoun refers back to a noun mentioned earlier (this noun is called an antecedent in grammar terms), the pronoun must:

1. Match in number - singular pronoun for singular noun, plural pronoun for plural noun
2. Be in the correct form for its function - subject form (I, he, she, they) when it's doing the action; object form (me, him, her, them) when something is being done to it
3. Use personal pronouns for straightforward reference - "them," "it," "they" for clear reference back to a previously mentioned noun

Example from this question:

• Antecedent: "Software engineers" (plural)
• Function needed: Object of the verb "encourage"
• Correct pronoun: "them" (plural object form)
• Complete phrase: "encourage them to integrate"

Another example:

• The research team completed its analysis, and the director praised them for their thorough work.
• "Them" refers back to "research team" (the people)
• "Them" is the object of "praised"
• Matches the plural sense (confirmed by "their work")

Why not demonstratives (those/these)?

Demonstrative pronouns like "those" and "these" serve a different purpose - they distinguish or point to specific items, often in contrast to others:

• "Some engineers prefer independent work; those who do often struggle with collaborative projects." (distinguishing one group from another)
• But for simple reference back to a noun, use personal pronouns.