Question 7

He is a legal resident of the United States.

In this sentence, 'legal' modifies the noun 'resident', indicating that he is recognized by law as a resident. This usage aligns with the requirement for 'legal' to function as an adjective.

A) It is legal to wear green on March 17th.

This sentence uses 'legal' as a predicate adjective, describing the action of wearing green on March 17th. However, it does not modify a noun directly in the same way that 'legal' does in option D.

B) He did not know that jaywalking was not legal.

In this case, 'not legal' functions as a predicate adjective referring to jaywalking. While it describes the concept of legality, it does not directly modify a noun in the structure of the sentence, making it less relevant to the question.

C) It is not legal to jaywalk.

Here, 'not legal' serves as a predicate adjective to describe the act of jaywalking. Similar to option B, it does not modify a noun directly, thus failing to meet the criteria for the question.

D) He is a legal resident of the United States.

In this sentence, 'legal' directly modifies the noun 'resident', clearly indicating that he is a resident recognized by law. This is the correct usage of 'legal' as an adjective.

Conclusion

The correct answer is option D, as 'legal' is directly modifying the noun 'resident'. The other options use 'legal' in a manner that does not fit the requirement of direct noun modification, making them unsuitable for the question asked. Thus, option D is the only choice that clearly demonstrates 'legal' as an adjective.