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After being injected, one participant from each of the three groups was taken to an observation room where, they believed, they encountered someone that had had the same injection.

(A) they believed, they encountered someone that had had Incorrect

meaning change - they refers to three groups, here each participant believe

(B) as they believed, they encountered someone who had had Incorrect

meaning change - they refers to three groups, here each participant believe

(C) they believed that they encountered someone having had Incorrect

meaning change - they refers to three groups, here each participant believe

(D) the participant believed they encountered someone who had Incorrect

pronoun error - the participant singular , they plural

(E) the participant believed, he or she encountered someone who had had Correct
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Is it just me or does it seem like the sentence is a bit confusing. "one participant from each group" means more than one individual (i.e. plural) so I am not quite following the exclusion of the plural choices involving "they" above.
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I have the same question. One participant from each of the 3 groups means 3 people, hence 'they' should be applicable.
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siddharth_126
I have the same question. One participant from each of the 3 groups means 3 people, hence 'they' should be applicable.

I think the subject remains that one person throughout the sentence. It doesn't shift to multiple people even though there are 3 people in the room now.
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Official Explanation

The original answer is faulty in two ways: the pronoun they, which is plural, does not agree with the singular antecedent participant, which is singular, and the pro noun that is used where the pronoun who belongs. Choice (E) remedies both problems by replacing the pronoun they with the singular he or she to agree with the antecedent and by replacing that with who.

The correct answer is (E).
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