WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-demonstrative pronouns-MCQs

 

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS — MCQs for Competitive Examinations

(Based on Wren & Martin's English Grammar)

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Average Standard

1. ________ is my best friend who helped me during my difficult times.

• A) These
• B) Those
• C) This
• D) That are

2. ________ are the books that I borrowed from the school library last week.

• A) This
• B) That
• C) These
• D) It

3. The climate of Shimla is cooler than ________ of Chennai.

• A) this
• B) that
• C) these
• D) those

4. ________ were the golden days of my childhood that I can never forget.

• A) This
• B) That
• C) It
• D) Those

5. My handwriting is better than ________ of my brother.

• A) these
• B) those
• C) this
• D) that

6. Choose the correct sentence:

• A) This books on the shelf belong to the college library.
• B) These book on the shelf belong to the college library.
• C) These books on the shelf belong to the college library.
• D) Those book on the shelf belong to the college library.

7. ________ is easier said than done.

• A) These
• B) Those
• C) That
• D) They

8. The population of China is larger than ________ of India.

• A) this
• B) these
• C) those
• D) that

9. Identify the error in the following sentence: "Those is the exact spot where the historic battle was fought centuries ago."

• A) Those is
• B) the exact spot
• C) the historic battle
• D) centuries ago
• E) No error

10. ________ who work hard will always achieve success in their lives.

• A) That
• B) This
• C) Those
• D) These

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Answers

1. C) This "This" is a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to a person or thing that is near or just mentioned. Wren & Martin states that "this" is used in the singular to point out a nearby or just-identified person or thing. "This is my best friend" correctly introduces a single person.

2. C) These "These" is the plural form of "this" and refers to things that are near or just mentioned. Wren & Martin: "these" is used when referring to more than one nearby person or thing. "Books" is plural, so "these" is the correct demonstrative pronoun here.

3. B) that When comparing two things of the same kind, a demonstrative pronoun is used to avoid repetition of the noun. Wren & Martin clearly illustrates this rule: "the climate of Shimla is cooler than that of Chennai" — "that" stands for "the climate" (singular) and avoids repetition. Using "this" would incorrectly refer to something nearby.

4. D) Those "Those" is the plural form of "that" and refers to persons or things that are distant — either in place or in time. Wren & Martin: "those" is used to point out things that are remote in time. "The golden days of childhood" are distant in time, so "those" is correct.

5. D) that "That" is used here as a demonstrative pronoun to replace "the handwriting" (singular noun) and avoid its repetition in the sentence. Wren & Martin's rule: when comparing two singular nouns of the same kind, "that" is used to substitute the noun already mentioned. "Those" would incorrectly suggest a plural noun.

6. C) These books on the shelf belong to the college library. Wren & Martin: demonstrative pronouns must agree in number with the nouns they refer to. "These" is plural and correctly matches the plural noun "books." Option A uses "this" with a plural noun — wrong. Options B and D use singular "book" with plural demonstratives — wrong.

7. C) That "That is easier said than done" is a standard idiomatic expression in English. Wren & Martin includes such fixed expressions where "that" is used as a demonstrative pronoun referring to an idea, situation, or concept previously understood or implied. "These" and "those" are plural and do not fit the singular context.

8. D) that "The population" is a singular noun. Wren & Martin's rule: "that" is used as a demonstrative pronoun to replace a singular noun already mentioned in order to avoid repetition in a comparison. "That of India" correctly stands for "the population of India." Using "those" would incorrectly imply a plural noun.

9. A) Those is "Those" is a plural demonstrative pronoun and must be followed by the plural verb "are," not the singular verb "is." Correct sentence: "That is the exact spot where the historic battle was fought centuries ago." Wren & Martin: demonstrative pronouns must agree with their verbs in number — singular pronouns (this, that) take singular verbs and plural pronouns (these, those) take plural verbs.

10. C) Those "Those who" is a standard construction in English where "those" functions as a demonstrative pronoun referring to a general group of people. Wren & Martin: "those" is used before a relative clause introduced by "who" to refer to people in general without naming them specifically. It is equivalent in meaning to "the people who" or "all who."