Remember to return it to Ruth; _____ hers.

Analyze the question: The sentence is "Remember to return it to Ruth; _ hers." We need the word that correctly completes the second clause.

Explain the concept: This tests the difference between its and it's, along with sentence structure.

• its = possessive (belonging to it): "The dog wagged its tail."
• it's = contraction of it is or it has: "It's raining."
• A semicolon joins two related independent clauses, so each clause needs its own subject and verb.

Step-by-step solution:

1. The second clause after the semicolon is "_ hers." It has the pronoun "hers" but no subject and no verb.
2. The clause needs a subject and a verb. "It is" supplies both: "It is hers."
3. Check each option: • A. is: "Is hers" has no subject. ✗ • B. it's: "It's hers" means "It is hers." ✓ • C. it: "It hers" has no verb. ✗ • D. its: "Its hers" is a possessive, not a verb, so it is wrong. ✗

Correct sentence: "Remember to return it to Ruth; it's hers."

Exam tip: When you are unsure between its and it's, expand it to "it is" or "it has". If the sentence still makes sense, use it's (with the apostrophe). If it doesn't, use its. Also remember that possessive pronouns like hers, yours, ours, theirs never take apostrophes.