Final answer:
The correct option is 2. The referent of 'his' in a passage is identified by the context and grammatical structure of the text. The pronoun 'his' traditionally denotes ownership or relation to a singular noun or subject mentioned previously in the text.
Step-by-step explanation:
To ascertain the referent of 'his' in a given passage, one must consider the context in which the pronoun is used. In English grammar, when dealing with generic nouns and most indefinite pronouns that are singular in meaning, traditionally these words took the singular pronouns he/him/his due to the lack of a gender-neutral third-person pronoun that refers to people. For example, the sentences 'Everyone has his own opinion' or 'A doctor needs to show that he cares about his patients' illustrate this usage.
When determining the antecedent of a pronoun like 'his,' it's important to recognize the noun that the pronoun is replacing or referring to. Within a passage, 'his' may refer to the subject previously mentioned, such as a person's father, the person himself, a friend, or a brother. The correct referent can be identified based on the structure and details of the preceding text. Personal pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and possessive pronouns like 'his' indicate ownership or a relation to the noun mentioned before the pronoun. In a sentence like 'The father nurtures and protects his son,' 'his' clearly refers to 'the father.'