<p>Environmentally hazardous contamination of the water and air is one of the more serious and complex issues facing urban centers in the United States, where [they have an] effect on public health, property values, and the quality of life is magnified by the density of population.</p>
<p>(A) they have an
(B) their
(C) an
(D) it has an
(E) its</p>
<p>Two answers seem the same…</p>
<p>I’m thinking it’s [color=white]choice E<a href=“highlight%20that%20space%20to%20see%20my%20answer”>/color</a>.</p>
<p>“Its” refers back to “environmentally hazardous contamination of the water and air,” which is singular (“contamination”).
</p>
<p>its E…</p>
<p>How come the answer isn’t C… Doesn’t C work better?</p>
<p>Well, this question is really confusing…but my final answer would be E</p>
<p>Try to remove all the prepositional phrases and it should seem fairly clear…</p>
<p>C says “an effect,” which is not as precise as “its effect.” We are talking about the effect of contamination of water and air here, not just “an effect.”</p>