PTE Academic Writing Relative Clauses Quiz

The sentence "The student who studied hard passed the exam" uses "who" correctly as a relative pronoun to refer to a person. In contrast, "which" is used for objects, "whom" is typically used as an object of a verb or preposition, and "where" indicates a place, making them inappropriate in this context.

"Whom" is used as a relative pronoun specifically for objects in a sentence, referring to people. It serves to connect clauses while indicating that the pronoun is the object of a verb or preposition, distinguishing it from "who," which is used for subjects.

The clause "which was submitted yesterday" adds extra information about the report but is not essential to the sentence's meaning. It can be removed without altering the main idea, indicating that it is a non-restrictive clause, typically set off by commas.

The sentence "The document that you need is on the desk" correctly uses 'that' to introduce a restrictive relative clause. This clause specifies which document is being referred to, providing essential information without unnecessary punctuation. The other options incorrectly punctuate or place 'that,' making the meaning unclear.

In this sentence, "who" is the appropriate choice because it refers to a person (the professor) and introduces a relative clause that provides more information about that person. "Which," "that," and "whose" are not suitable in this context, as they do not correctly refer to a person in the same way.

'Whose' is the correct possessive form used to indicate ownership or association in relative clauses. In this sentence, it appropriately connects the author to their book, clarifying that the book belongs to the author. The other options incorrectly use 'who,' 'which,' or 'that,' which do not convey possession.

The relative clause "who failed the test" is restrictive because it specifies which students are being referred to. It limits the subject to only those students who did not pass, making the meaning of the sentence clear and necessary for identifying the group being discussed. Without this clause, the sentence would lose important information.

Both sentences can be correct based on how the information is presented. The first sentence implies that the data being analyzed is a specific set, while the second adds extra information about the analysis without restricting the meaning. The choice depends on whether the clause is essential or non-essential to the sentence's meaning.

In relative clauses, "where" serves to specify a place or location related to the noun it modifies. It helps to provide additional information about that location, linking it to the main clause and enhancing the sentence's meaning by indicating the setting of the action or event.

The word "when" is appropriate in this context because it introduces a time-related clause, indicating the specific year the company was founded. The other options—"that," "which," and "where"—do not convey the same temporal meaning and are unsuitable for referring to a year.

This sentence correctly uses a relative clause, "that was conducted last year," to provide additional information about "the research." It maintains clarity and grammatical correctness, linking the research to its timeframe without unnecessary punctuation or incorrect pronouns, making it the best option among the choices.

Non-restrictive relative clauses provide additional information that is not essential for identifying the noun they modify. They are set off by commas to indicate that the sentence would still make sense without this extra detail, allowing readers to understand the main point while gaining supplementary context.