One of my . ..... is a lecturer in the university.

Analyze the question

The sentence is: "One of my __ is a lecturer in the university." We need to pick the correct form of the word "sister" to fill the gap.

Explain the concept

The phrase "one of my..." is followed by a plural noun, because you are picking one from a group. For example:

• One of my friends is a doctor.
• One of the boys is absent.

Now compare the options:

• sister is singular, so it doesn't fit after "one of my".
• sister's is singular possessive, which means "belonging to a sister". It would need a noun after it, such as "sister's book".
• sisters is plural, which fits "one of my ___".
• sisters' is plural possessive, which means "belonging to sisters". It would also need a noun after it, such as "sisters' school".

Step-by-step solution

1. "One of my" signals that a group is being referred to, so we need a plural noun.
2. The verb "is" has "one" as its subject, so the sentence is complete without any possessive.
3. Nothing in the sentence belongs to the sisters, so no apostrophe is needed.
4. The plural noun without an apostrophe is sisters.

Completed sentence: "One of my sisters is a lecturer in the university."

Answer: C. sisters

Exam tip

When you see "one of the/my/his/her ____", pick the plural noun. Only use an apostrophe if the word is followed by something that belongs to it. If no noun follows the gap, a plain plural is usually correct. This is a common WASSCE and JAMB trap, so watch out for it!