Pariksha SaathiRelative Pronouns Questions with Solutions
"Who," "whom," "which," "that" and "whose" each have one fixed job — the trick is checking whether the pronoun is acting as a subject or an object, and whether it points to a person or a thing. Here’s the approach, four fully worked examples, and a few to try yourself.
The approach, quickly
- "Who" is the SUBJECT of its own clause, referring to a person ("the man who called" — who is doing the calling).
- "Whom" is the OBJECT of a verb or preposition, referring to a person ("the man whom you called" — you called him; "the man to whom I spoke").
- "Which" refers to things or animals, never people. "Whose" shows possession and works for both people and things.
- Test "who" vs "whom" by mentally answering the clause with he/him: if "he" fits, use "who"; if "him" fits, use "whom" ("who called" → he called; "whom you called" → you called him).
Worked examples
1. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The man ___ called you yesterday is my colleague. (A) whom (B) who (C) which (D) whose
Solution
- The pronoun is the subject of "called" (he called, not "him called") — "who" is correct.
Answer: who
2. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The man ___ you met at the party is my colleague. (A) whom (B) who (C) which (D) whose
Solution
- The pronoun is the object of "met" (you met him, not "you met he") — "whom" is correct.
Answer: whom
3. Choose the correct relative pronoun: This is the book ___ changed my perspective on life. (A) who (B) whom (C) which (D) whose
Solution
- The pronoun refers to a thing ("book"), not a person — "which" is correct.
Answer: which
4. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The author ___ book won the award attended the ceremony. (A) who (B) whom (C) which (D) whose
Solution
- The pronoun shows possession (the author’s book) — "whose" is correct.
Answer: whose
Try these yourself
Check whether the pronoun acts as subject or object, and whether it points to a person or a thing, then check against the answer.
1. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The teacher ___ taught us mathematics has retired. (A) whom (B) who (C) which (D) whose
Answer: who
2. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The movie ___ we watched last night was excellent. (A) who (B) whom (C) which (D) whose
Answer: which
3. Choose the correct relative pronoun: The woman ___ purse was stolen reported it to the police. (A) who (B) whom (C) which (D) whose
Answer: whose
Where this comes up
Relative Pronouns is tested directly in the English Language section of every exam Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk.
Practice more Relative Pronouns questions
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