When you play the ‘Secret Santa’, you are expected to buy a gift for whoever you are assigned, without letting them know that you are the one buying the gift.

Question

When you play the ‘Secret Santa’, you are expected to buy a gift for whoever you are assigned, without letting them know that you are the one buying the gift. Option 1: who you are assigned Option 2: whomever you are assigned Option 3: whom you are assigned Option 4: whoever you are assigned

AfterBoards · Accepted Answer

This question tests the proper usage of who/whom and whoever/whomever. These pronouns follow a simple rule: use "who/whoever" for subjects (like "he/she") and "whom/whomever" for objects (like "him/her"). Think of it like Secret Santa assignments - you wouldn't say "Santa assigned he a gift," you'd say "Santa assigned him a gift." Same logic applies here! Option 1 → Incorrect: "Who" is for subjects, but here it's receiving the assignment. Option 2 → Correct: "Whomever" properly shows they're the object being assigned to you. Option 3 → Incorrect: "Whom" is right grammatically, but we need the compound "whomever." Option 4 → Incorrect: "Whoever" is for subjects, not objects receiving assignments.

IPMAT Indore (VA) PYQs

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