'Would you like this candy or these desserts to follow the meal?'This is being used as an indicator for a singular item, and these is being used as an indicator for multiple items.See the related...
hodgepodge is defined as a mixture or jumble so I assume it would be used like this... The crowd consisted of a hodgepodge of people; ranging from architects and businessmen to construction workers...
Use it's (with the apostrophe) only when you mean "it is" or "it has." For example: It's time to go. (It is time to go.)It's been a long time. (It has been a long time.) Use its (without the...