Pronouns - Usage of 'it/they'

Pronouns are one of those underappreciated concepts on the GMAT. If you are not careful with them or do not understand their nuances, they will trip you. ‘it/they’ are those pronouns that you must be especially careful of.

How can one be more careful of these traps you ask?

One simple way to accomplish this is to substitute what ‘it’ stands for back into the sentence and see whether the sentence makes sense.

Rule #1 – try to plug back what the pronoun stands for in the sentence.

For example:
This year’s crop yield is much higher than it was last year.

What does ‘it’ refer to in the sentence? We see that ‘it’ refers to ‘this year’s crop yield’.

Now plug it back into the sentence:

This year’s crop yield is much higher than this year’s crop yield was last year.

Obviously, this sentence is absurd.

Notice that ‘this year’s’ – a possessive form – functions as an adjective.

This leads us rule #2 that must be followed while dealing with ‘it/they’ on the GMAT.

Rule #2 – ‘it/they’ refers to noun along with all its Modifiers.

Let us look at this correct sentence from GMATPrep:

Although improved efficiency in converting harvested trees into wood products may reduce harvest rates, it will stimulate demand by increasing supply and lowering prices, thereby boosting consumption.

What does ‘it’ refer to in the sentence?

‘it’ here refers to ‘improved efficiency in converting harvested trees into wood products’ hence this sentence is correct on the GMAT.

Notice that ‘efficiency’ has two modifiers – ‘improved’ and ‘in converting harvested trees into wood products’. However, it is still a singular hence we use the correct pronoun ‘it’.

Rule #3 – ‘it/they’ refers to the same copy of the noun.

Let me illustrate this with an example from GMAT.

Today’s technology allows manufacturers to make small cars that are more fuel-efficient than they were at any time in their production history.

What is the intended meaning of the sentence?

The meaning is that today’s small cars are more fuel-efficient than previous small cars.

What do ‘they/their’ in the above sentence refer to?

Here ‘they’ has to refer to ‘small cars’. Hence, as per rule #3 it must refer to the same copy of ‘small cars’. This option nonsensically suggests that the very same small cars of today were less efficient during their production history.

How do you correct this?

Obviously, we need to refer to a different copy of small cars for the sentence to make sense. One way to achieve this is to use ‘that/those’ instead of ‘it/they/their’.

Today’s technology allows manufacturers to make small cars that are more fuel-efficient than those at any other time in production history.

Putting it all together

With these rules in mind, let us try to solve the following problem from GMATPrep:

Some anthropologists regard the early hominids' manner of walking as being less efficient than in modern human beings.
A. as being less efficient than in
B. as less efficient than it is in
C. as less efficient than that of
D. to be less efficient than that of
E. to have been less efficient than it is in

How do I approach this problem?

I scan down the vertical list of options and I immediately spot a split between ‘it’ and ‘that’. Now, I realize that the GMAT is testing me on the usage of same copy vs different copy on this question.

Also, I remember that ‘it’ refers to the noun in its entirety – i.e. the noun plus all its modifiers.

Hence, ‘it’ in options B and E refers to ‘early hominid’s manner of walking’.

Hmmm, this does not seem to make a lot of sense.

Let me try to plug this back into the sentence and see (Rule #1) – “Early hominid’s manner of walking as less efficient that early hominid’s manner of walking is in modern human beings”. This is clearly incorrect. Eliminate B and E.


In option A, I see the word ‘being’. I know that GMAT does not like the usage of ‘being’.
But I won’t knock it off directly. Instead let me ask myself: Does the sentence retain its meaning if ‘being’ is removed?

Yes, it does.

So, ‘being’ is redundant. (Also, note that the sentence does not make much sense. You cannot have early hominid’s manner of walking in modern human beings).

I am left with C and D.

I notice the word ‘regard’. I see that there are two splits in the idiom in the answer choices. ‘regard X to be Y’ and ‘regard X as Y’.

There is absolutely no other difference between these two answer options. So, I scan my memory and remember that I have memorized the correct form of the idiom ‘regard X as Y’. (I have memorized only the correct form of the idiom, not the incorrect forms – this helps you avoid getting confused).

Hence, C is the correct answer.