Extract:
What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence?
The nurse left the room to look for the paperwork the nurse had misplaced.
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A
her
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B
he
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C
his
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D
it
The word "he" best substitutes for "the nurse" because the pronoun functions as the subject of the implied clause "he left the room."
A) her
"Her" is objective or possessive case—cannot function as subject pronoun. "Her left the room" creates ungrammatical construction lacking subjective form.
B) he
"He" is subjective case pronoun correctly replacing "the nurse" as subject of the action "left." Assuming traditional gender association for "nurse" may be outdated, but grammatically "he" provides the required subjective case form.
C) his
"His" is possessive case—cannot function as subject pronoun. "His left the room" creates ungrammatical construction.
D) it
"It" is neuter pronoun inappropriate for people in standard English. While grammatically a subject pronoun, "it" dehumanizes the nurse and violates conventions for referring to persons.
Conclusion
Subject pronouns require subjective case forms matching the antecedent's person and number. Since "the nurse" performs the action of leaving, subjective case "he" (or "she" if context specifies gender) is required—not objective, possessive, or neuter forms.