Question

The Diary of Anne Frank tells the true story of a young girl and her family that were hidden during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands by a gentile Dutch couple, though they were eventually discovered.

• A. that were hidden during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands by a gentile Dutch couple, though they were eventually discovered
• B. that were hidden by a gentile Dutch couple during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, though they were eventually discovered
• C. whom a gentile Dutch couple hid during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands but were eventually discovered
• D. who were hidden by a gentile Dutch couple during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands but were eventually discovered

Answer 1

The correct option is D

who were hidden by a gentile Dutch couple during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands but were eventually discovered

The original sentence uses the relative pronoun "that" where "who" is preferred because the antecedent is a group of people. Also, the prepositional phrase "by a gentile Dutch couple" is placed in such a way as to suggest that the occupation was carried out by the couple. Finally, the pronoun "they" is ambiguous - it could refer to the family or to the couple.

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.
(B) This choice incorrectly uses the relative pronoun "that" to refer to a group of people. Additionally, the pronoun "they" is ambiguous - it could refer to the family or to the couple.
(C) The use of the object pronoun "whom" makes "a girl and her family" the object of the clause "a gentile Dutch couple hid;" however "a girl and her family" are the subject of the next clause "were eventually discovered." This is a mismatch.
(D) CORRECT. It correctly uses the pronoun "who" to refer to a girl and her family. Additionally, the phrase "by a gentile Dutch couple" is placed immediately after "who were hidden" to clarify the meaning. Finally, the ambiguous pronoun issue is avoided altogether.