The catalog for the 2023 International Design Biennial, an exhibition showcasing contemporary architectural innovation, presents _____ senior partners...

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

• The catalog for the 2023 International Design Biennial,
  • an exhibition showcasing contemporary architectural innovation,
    • presents [portfolio(?)/portfolios(?)] created by the [firm's(?)/firms'(?)] senior partners,
      • each of whom has won multiple industry awards.

Understanding the Meaning

The sentence starts by telling us what document we're talking about:

• 'The catalog for the 2023 International Design Biennial'
  • This is a catalog (like a book or publication) for a specific event

Then we get more information about this biennial:

• 'an exhibition showcasing contemporary architectural innovation'
  • It's an exhibition (a show) that features modern architectural design

Now the sentence tells us what this catalog presents:

• 'presents _____'
  • This is where our blank is

Let's look at the choices to see what we're deciding:

• Choice A: portfolio's created by the firm's
• Choice B: portfolios created by the firms'
• Choice C: portfolio's created by the firms'
• Choice D: portfolios created by the firm's

I can see we're choosing between:

1. portfolio's vs. portfolios
2. firm's vs. firms'

To understand what works, let's read the rest of the sentence:

• 'created by the _____ senior partners, each of whom has won multiple industry awards'

Now let's break down what we need:

First decision - portfolio's or portfolios?

• After "presents," we need a noun that acts as the object - the thing being presented
• "Created by the senior partners" is a descriptive phrase telling us who made these things
• "Portfolio's" with an apostrophe means "belonging to the portfolio" - but that doesn't make sense here because we need the actual thing being presented, not something possessive
• "Portfolios" (plural, no apostrophe) works perfectly as the object of "presents"
• Plus, multiple senior partners would logically create multiple portfolios

Second decision - firm's or firms'?

• The phrase is "the [?] senior partners" - these partners belong to the firm(s)
• We need a possessive form here (showing ownership)
• "Firm's" would mean senior partners of one firm
• "Firms'" would mean senior partners of multiple firms
• Context clue: This is an international design biennial - a major exhibition
  • Such exhibitions typically showcase work from multiple firms, not just one
• The plural "portfolios" and multiple "senior partners" also suggest we're talking about multiple firms

What do we notice about the structure?

• "Portfolios" is a straightforward plural noun (like "books" or "cars") - no apostrophe needed
• "Firms'" is a plural possessive (multiple firms, and something belongs to them) - needs the apostrophe after the s

So we need: portfolios created by the firms' senior partners

The correct answer is B.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Using Apostrophes: Possessives vs. Plurals

Apostrophes show ownership or possession - they don't make words plural. Understanding when to use them is crucial:

1. Simple Plurals (NO apostrophe):

• When you just want more than one of something, add -s or -es
• Examples: portfolios, partners, exhibitions, designs
• In our sentence: "portfolios" is simply multiple portfolio items

2. Singular Possessive (apostrophe + s):

• When one thing owns or possesses something: add 's
• Examples:
  • The firm's office = the office belonging to one firm
  • The architect's design = the design belonging to one architect
• Format: noun + 's + thing possessed

3. Plural Possessive (s + apostrophe):

• When multiple things own or possess something: add s first, then apostrophe
• Examples:
  • The firms' partners = partners belonging to multiple firms
  • The architects' portfolios = portfolios belonging to multiple architects
• Format: plural noun + ' + thing possessed
• In our sentence: "the firms' senior partners" (called a plural possessive in grammar terms) means the senior partners who belong to multiple firms

Key mistake to avoid:

• Don't use apostrophes for simple plurals: "portfolio's created" is incorrect
• Use apostrophes only for possession: "firms' senior partners" is correct

How this applies to our question:

• "Portfolios" = simple plural (multiple portfolio items), no apostrophe
• "Firms'" = plural possessive (senior partners belonging to multiple firms), apostrophe after the s