Choose the most appropriate alternative from the options given below to complete the following sentence:
Suresh's dog is the one ________ was hurt in the stampede.
A. that B. which C. who D. whom
GATE 2012 · General Aptitude · Most Appropriate Word · medium
Answer: A. that — 'Suresh's dog is the one that was hurt in the stampede' is the grammatically correct sentence.
Determine the antecedent and eliminate pronouns for people: The antecedent is 'dog' (an animal). 'Who' and 'whom' are used exclusively for people. Therefore, options C (who) and D (whom) are immediately eliminated.
Choose between 'that' and 'which' for an animal in a defining clause: The relative clause 'was hurt in the stampede' is a restrictive/defining clause — it identifies which specific dog is being referred to. For restrictive clauses with animal or thing antecedents, 'that' is the standard and preferred choice in GATE English questions.