In the following passage about bird species in the Rockies, choose the most appropriate relative pronoun to complete the sentence: “The Rockies boast of Brewer blackbird, ______ habits are not as prosaic as his name would indicate.”

Introduction / Context:
This item tests knowledge of relative pronouns, especially the use of “whose” to show possession. The sentence describes Brewer blackbird and then comments on its habits. The blank introduces a clause that expresses something belonging to the bird, namely its habits. To complete the clause correctly, we must choose the relative pronoun that indicates possession and agrees with the noun that comes before it.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The sentence fragment reads: “The Rockies boast of Brewer blackbird, ______ habits are not as prosaic as his name would indicate.”
The options are “whose,” “who,” “whom,” and “whoever.”
The noun immediately after the blank is “habits,” which is a possessed noun, requiring an expression of ownership.
We assume formal standard English usage in a descriptive passage about birds.

Concept / Approach:
“Whose” is the relative pronoun used to show possession for both people and animals, and even for things in formal writing. The structure “Brewer blackbird, whose habits are not as prosaic...” is a standard non defining relative clause. “Who” and “whom” refer to people or animals, but they function as subjects or objects, not as possessive determiners. “Whoever” introduces a different type of clause and does not fit here. Therefore, we need “whose” to correctly link the bird with its habits.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the grammatical relationship. The clause describes the habits that belong to the blackbird. Step 2: Recognise that when we talk about something belonging to a person or animal in a relative clause, we use “whose.” Step 3: Insert “whose”: “Brewer blackbird, whose habits are not as prosaic as his name would indicate.” Step 4: Check that the resulting clause is complete: subject “habits,” verb “are,” and complement “not as prosaic as his name would indicate.” Step 5: Confirm that no other option expresses possession in this context.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can compare with similar sentences. For example, “This is the writer whose books are famous worldwide” clearly uses “whose” to show that the books belong to the writer. The same pattern appears here: the habits belong to the blackbird. If we replaced “whose” with “who,” the phrase “who habits” would be ungrammatical, since “who” cannot directly modify a noun as a determiner. Replacing it with “whom” would also be incorrect, because “whom” is used as an object, not to show possession. “Whoever” introduces an indefinite subject and does not connect neatly to “habits.”

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
“who” is a subject pronoun and cannot function before a noun to show possession in this structure.
“whom” functions as an object of a verb or preposition and does not express ownership of “habits.”
“whoever” is used to mean “any person who,” and it does not work in a non defining relative clause about a specific bird.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners hesitate to use “whose” with animals or things, mistakenly thinking it is only for humans. In fact, in formal English, “whose” is completely acceptable for animals, countries, and objects when we need a possessive relative pronoun. Another pitfall is confusing “who” and “whom” with “whose.” Remember: if a noun follows immediately, and you want to show that this noun belongs to the preceding noun, “whose” is almost always the correct choice.

Final Answer:
The correct relative pronoun is whose, so the sentence reads: “The Rockies boast of Brewer blackbird, whose habits are not as prosaic as his name would indicate.”