Question

In the given sentence, choose the word that the adjective clause modifies:
The man, whom we met in the subway, is my sister’s fiancé.
A) Sister
B) Fiance
C) Man
D) My

Answer 1

Hint:An adjective clause is a type of dependent clause that works to describe a noun in a sentence. For example: that, where, when, who, whom etc.

Complete answer:
Let’s analyse the options:
Option A) Sister – is an incorrect answer because the clause does not explain ‘which sister’ but it describes ‘which man’ and this is an inappropriate answer. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.
Option B) Fiance – is an incorrect answer because the clause does not tell more about ‘fiance’, though fiancé is the man and it specifically defines or describes the noun ‘man’. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.
Option C) Man – is the correct answer because the adjective clause ‘whom we met in the subway’ defines the man. And this is the correct answer because it defines the adjective clause and the most appropriate answer. Thus, this is the correct answer.
Option D) My – is an incorrect answer because ‘my’ is not a noun but it is a determiner and determiner explains the noun or it introduces a noun and it always comes before a noun. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.

Hence, the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note:There is a difference between an adjective clause and determiner; an adjective clause modifies a noun and determiner precede nouns/noun phrases and they are like indicators. So, there should be no confusion between the ‘my’ and ‘man’. Thus, Option C is the most appropriate answer as compared to the any other option