<p>Here is the sentence: </p>
<p>Many changes occurred while she was president of the college; these changes increased its educational quality and effectiveness. </p>
<p>'its' is vague apparently and therefore the sentence is grammatically incorrect, but doesn't its refer to the college. The pronoun is not ambiguous but vague. Apparently I was reading somewhere that since the 'its' is a separate independent clause albeit in one sentence- "college" is not mentioned in the second main clause. </p>
<p>Thanks for the help cc</p>
<p>its can refer to either the college or “she”.</p>
<p>Why ‘she’ as well when she is referring to a person not an object which is what ‘its’ refers to i.e. not a person?</p>
<p>You’re assuming that the sentence stands in isolation. But let’s say, for example, that what the author is actually discussing an online degree program offered by the college. The program started a few years before this college president took office, and still had very limited enrollment when she took over as president. Then the author writes: “Many changes occurred while she was president of the college; these changes increased its educational quality and effectiveness.” You now have no idea what “it” refers to . . . could be the online program or could be the college. There’s no way to know.</p>
<p>A pronoun has to have a clear and unambiguous reference. If it does not, that’s an error.</p>
<p>I take your point; however, this sentence appeared in isolation in a SAT practice paper so I cannot really assume anything, if you get what I mean. </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>dodgersmom, I see what you are saying now. I checked the solutions to that question and the pronoun ‘its’ is indeed vague but not ambiguous. Since, there are two main clauses in the sentence below- the clauses are treated separately and so since the second main clause has its but no college in it- the pronoun ‘its’ is vague because ‘college’ is only mentioned in the first clause not the second. </p>
<p>Many changes occurred while she was president of the college; these changes increased its educational quality and effectiveness</p>
<p>Cheers</p>