Choose the correct relative construction for the non-defining clause:
The geological team submitted five rock specimens to the mass spectrometer, ________ revealed traces of precious rare-earth minerals.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. none of which
Answer: none of which. Why not the others: 'none of whom' is restricted to human antecedents; 'none of them' lacks relative binding and produces an ungrammatical comma splice; 'none of what' is syntactically invalid as a relative connector here.
- Step 1: Identify the antecedent: the antecedent is 'five rock specimens' (inanimate physical objects).
- Step 2: When a quantifier introduces a relative clause modifying non-human entities, 'which' is the appropriate relative pronoun: 'none of which'.
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