请教OG 130 THEIR refers to

cmtn

130. In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that two upstate New York counties owed restitution to three tribes of Oneida Indians for the unlawful seizure of their ancestral lands in the eighteenth century.
(A) that two upstate New York counties owed restitution to three tribes of Oneida Indians for the unlawful seizure of
(B) that two upstate New York counties owed restitution to three tribes of Oneida Indians because of their unlawful seizure of
(C) two upstate New York counties to owe restitution to three tribes of Oneida Indians for their unlawful seizure of
(D) on two upstate New York counties that owed restitution to three tribes of Oneida Indians because they unlawfully seized（A）
(E) on the restitution that two upstate New York counties owed to three tribes of Oneida Indians for the unlawful seizure of

Answer: A

their ancestral lands in the eighteenth century.
THEIR should refer to countries not tribes (As I understand), but why here it refers to later one?

OR we do not take care of it as long as it is not underlied?

tianwan

It seems that ETS tolerate more than one antecedent of a pronoun when the semantic antecedent can be clearly refered. When it comes to this subject, "their" refers to "Indians".

However, ETS deems it wrong that two same pronouns in one single sentence refer two different antecedent.

cmtn

ETS always, ALWAYS right.

Thank you tianwan.

summersmile

their ancestral lands in the eighteenth century.
THEIR should refer to countries not tribes (As I understand), but why here it refers to later one?

为什么?我认为这里their 指代three tribes？？？

p200002

这样理解比较通,看最近的.这里最近的是印第安人的三个部落,所以THEIR指他们.

zhangsolo

to three tribes of Oneida Indians 和for the unlawful seizure of....都是修饰restitution的，而主语是two upstate New York counties

such as:

Hostages owed restitution to Japan for their release.   这里的their 指 hostages，而不会指japan.

不知这样解释恰当否