The questioned sentence is:
In order to find out who _______ might be, they agreed to hang their straw hats up before the door, and he whose hat was blown away was to yield himself up to his fate.
The exact word in the original article is "it", but I am not sure if "he" can also be used.
Which word is more proper to be filled in the blank，"it" or "he"?
Are they both OK here?
Why?
Best Answer
"It" is the correct choice.
When the sentence is read alone, "who he might be" sounds a little like asking for the identity of a pre-specified person, whereas "who it might be" sounds like asking "which person?"
However, interestingly, "he" sounds more acceptable when read in the context of the full story. Because it's a fable, its style and and cadence makes using "he" appear more natural than in the stand-alone sentence.