The violins handmade in the seventeenth century by Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari have been celebrated as some of the finest...

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 violins
  • handmade in the seventeenth century by Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari
• have been celebrated as some of the finest in the world.

• In close collaboration with musicians,
• Stradivari introduced changes to the shape of a traditional violin,
  • flattening some of the instrument's curves
  • and making [?] lighter overall.

Understanding the Meaning

The first sentence tells us about Stradivari's violins:

• The violins
  • handmade in the seventeenth century by Antonio Stradivari
• have been celebrated as some of the finest in the world.

So these are famous, highly regarded instruments.

Now the second sentence tells us about the changes Stradivari made:

• In close collaboration with musicians,
• Stradivari introduced changes to the shape of a traditional violin

Notice something important here: the first sentence talked about "violins" (plural), but now we're talking about "a traditional violin" (singular) - the general design he was modifying.

The sentence continues:

• flattening some of the instrument's curves
• and making ______ lighter overall.

Now here's where we need to fill in the blank: "making ______ lighter overall."

Let's look at our choices:

• "those" (plural)
• "one" (singular)
• "them" (plural)
• "it" (singular)

What do we notice about the structure here?

• "Flattening" and "making" are parallel actions
  • Both describe the changes Stradivari introduced
  • Both refer to what he was modifying

• What was he making lighter?
  • The same thing he was flattening the curves of
  • That thing is "a traditional violin"

• "A traditional violin" is SINGULAR
  • So we need a SINGULAR pronoun

The correct answer is D. it - the singular object pronoun that refers back to "a traditional violin."

The complete meaning: Stradivari worked with musicians to change the traditional violin design, making it flatter in some areas and lighter overall.

Grammar Concept Applied

Pronouns Must Match Their Antecedents in Number

A pronoun must agree in number with the noun it refers back to (called its antecedent in grammar terms). If the antecedent is singular, use a singular pronoun. If the antecedent is plural, use a plural pronoun.

Pattern:

Singular antecedent → Singular pronoun:

• "The scientist published her findings in a journal. It received widespread attention."
• Antecedent: "a journal" (singular)
• Pronoun: "it" (singular) ✓

Plural antecedent → Plural pronoun:

• "The scientists published their findings in several journals. They received widespread attention."
• Antecedent: "several journals" (plural)
• Pronoun: "they" (plural) ✓

In this question:

• Antecedent: "a traditional violin" (singular)
• Pronoun needed: "it" (singular) ✓

Watch out for distractors:

The first sentence mentions "violins" (plural), but that's not what the pronoun refers to. The relevant antecedent appears in the same sentence as the blank: "a traditional violin" (singular). Always identify the specific noun the pronoun is replacing, not just any similar noun that appears earlier in the passage.