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Does the following makes sense, with "the totem pole" referring to totem poles in general?
The totem pole can be grouped into specific categories, depending on its location and the occasion for which it was carved.
Note that there are various types, or categories, of totem poles such as the welcome pole and memorial pole.
I'd appreciate your help.
Constructions like that can be made, using the definite article to refer to a category of things - "the horse", "the television", and yes, "the totem pole".
You would not then group such a thing "into specific categories". You might group it with other things - "the horse may be grouped with the zebra and the donkey to form the family of equids", but not group it into.
To group something is to combine it. You wish to divide or split it:
The totem pole may be divided into specific categories, depending on...
On the other hand:
Totem poles may be grouped into specific categories...
(Note that the plural example may use grouped or divided equally, depending on whether you think of it as a singular group or a group of single things)
No it does not make sense.
A totem pole is a complete thing. You can't group one complete thing.
If you are actually speaking about multiple totem poles and mean that there are different kinds of them (which is what I think it means) you could perhaps say:
Totem poles can be grouped into specific categories, depending on their location and the occasion for which they were carved.
Or, if the intended meaning was to refer to the component parts of a totem pole (a totem pole is made of numerous stacked images of totems) and say that the individual totems fall into specific categories, you could perhaps say:
The totems on a totem pole can be grouped into specific categories, depending on their location and the occasion for which they were carved.
