Underline the correct pronoun in parentheses.

1. Many so-called Founding Fathers are famous one or two of (his, his or her, their) accomplishments, but anyone who knows (his, his or her, their) history knows that Franklin is known for many things, including (his, her, his or her, their) inventions.

their, his or her, his

2. The armonica is not one of his well known inventions, but (its, their) design is ingenious.

its

3. Also called the glass harmonica, the armonica required a person to place (himself, herself, himself or herself) in front of the instrument and to rotate (its, their) glass bowls.

himself or herself, their

4. The lighting rod and the Franklin stove established his reputation as an inventor, but (it, they) remained in public domain because Franklin refused to secure patents for his inventions.

it

5. An inventor like Franklin does not limit (his, her, his or her, their) imagination to one field of science.

his

6. (He, She, He or She, They) can instead pursue many questions and the challenges (they, it) pose.

They, it

7. All scientist who study electricity should know that Ben Franklin provided the names (he, she, he or she, they) still use today for positive and negative electrons.

they

8. Franklin also named the Gulf Stream and mapped (their, its) current.

its

9. Franklin formed the first public lending library in America, which allowed people to burrow (its, their) books and read them at (his, her, his or her, their) leisure.

its, their

10. His public service record also includes the reform of the postal system and the establishment of The Academy and College of Philadelphia, which later merged (their, its) students with those of the State of Pennsylvania to become the University of Pennsylvania.

its

3 - halfway correct

4 - incorrect (To what is "their" or "it" referring?)

6 - halfway correct

7 - Your choice is correct -- but the word is scientists (plural spelling includes "s").

All others are correct.

1. Many so-called Founding Fathers are famous one or two of **their** accomplishments, but anyone who knows **his or her** history knows that Franklin is known for many things, including **his** inventions.

To determine the correct pronouns, we need to consider the antecedents (the nouns that the pronouns are referring to). In this case, the antecedents are "Founding Fathers," "his or her history," and "inventions." Since we are referring to multiple Founding Fathers, we use the plural pronoun "their." For the phrase "his or her history," we use the singular pronoun "his or her" to be inclusive. Finally, we use the possessive pronoun "his" to show possession for "inventions."

2. The armonica is not one of **his** well known inventions, but **its** design is ingenious.

In this sentence, we are referring to Franklin's invention, the armonica. Since we are talking about a singular invention, we use the singular pronouns "his" and "its" to show possession and describe the design.

3. Also called the glass harmonica, the armonica required a person to place **himself or herself** in front of the instrument and to rotate **their** glass bowls.

In this sentence, we are referring to a person playing the armonica and the glass bowls of the instrument. Since we don't know the gender of the person, we use the neutral pronoun "himself or herself." For the glass bowls, we use the plural pronoun "their."

4. The lighting rod and the Franklin stove established **his** reputation as an inventor, but **it** remained in public domain because Franklin refused to secure patents for his inventions.

In this sentence, we are referring to Franklin's inventions, the lightning rod and the Franklin stove. We use the possessive pronoun "his" to show possession and the pronoun "it" to refer to both inventions as a whole.

5. An inventor like Franklin does not limit **his** imagination to one field of science.

In this sentence, we are referring to an inventor like Franklin. Since we are talking about a hypothetical person who is a male, we use the pronoun "his" to show possession.

6. **They** can instead pursue many questions and the challenges **they** pose.

In this sentence, we are referring to a general group of inventors or scientists. Since we don't know the specific gender or number, we use the pronoun "they" to refer to the group as a whole.

7. All scientists who study electricity should know that Ben Franklin provided the names **they** still use today for positive and negative electrons.

In this sentence, we are referring to the scientists who study electricity. Since we are talking about multiple scientists, we use the plural pronoun "they" to refer to the group.

8. Franklin also named the Gulf Stream and mapped **its** current.

In this sentence, we are referring to the Gulf Stream and its current. Since we are speaking about a singular entity, we use the singular possessive pronoun "its" to show possession.

9. Franklin formed the first public lending library in America, which allowed people to borrow **their** books and read them at **their** leisure.

In this sentence, we are referring to the public lending library and the books it contains. Since we are talking about the books collectively, we use the plural pronoun "their." Similarly, we use the pronoun "their" to refer to the people borrowing and reading the books.

10. His public service record also includes the reform of the postal system and the establishment of The Academy and College of Philadelphia, which later merged **their** students with those of the State of Pennsylvania to become the University of Pennsylvania.

In this sentence, we are referring to The Academy and College of Philadelphia. Since we are talking about an institution, we use the possessive pronoun "their" to show possession.