WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-ARTICLES

 

ARTICLES — MCQs for Competitive Examinations

(Based on Wren & Martin's English Grammar)

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Average Standard

1. She is ________ honest woman and everyone respects her.

• A) a
• B) an
• C) the
• D) no article

2. ________ Ganga is ________ sacred river in India.

• A) A / the
• B) The / a
• C) The / the
• D) A / a

3. He plays ________ guitar very well.

• A) a
• B) an
• C) the
• D) no article

4. My father is ________ doctor and my mother is ________ teacher.

• A) the / the
• B) a / a
• C) an / a
• D) a / the

5. ________ sun rises in ________ east.

• A) A / an
• B) The / the
• C) The / an
• D) A / the

6. She gave me ________ one-rupee coin as change.

• A) an
• B) a
• C) the
• D) no article

7. ________ poor are often neglected by society.

• A) A
• B) An
• C) The
• D) no article

8. He was ________ first person to arrive at ________ meeting.

• A) a / a
• B) the / a
• C) the / the
• D) a / the

9. I saw ________ old man sitting under ________ tree near my house.

• A) an / a
• B) a / the
• C) an / the
• D) the / a

10. She has ________ eye for detail and ________ ear for music.

• A) an / an
• B) a / an
• C) an / a
• D) the / the

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Answers

1. B) an "Honest" begins with a silent "h," making the first sound a vowel sound (/ɒ/). As per Wren & Martin, the choice of "a" or "an" depends on the sound, not the letter. Hence "an honest woman" is correct.

2. B) The / a "The Ganga" — definite article "the" is used before names of rivers as per Wren & Martin's rule. "a sacred river" — indefinite article "a" is used because it is one among many sacred rivers (first mention, not uniquely identified).

3. C) the Wren & Martin states that "the" is used before names of musical instruments. Hence "plays the guitar" is the correct usage.

4. C) an / a "An" is used before "doctor" because it begins with a vowel sound (/d/ — wait, "doctor" begins with a consonant, so "a doctor" is correct). Correct answer is B) a / a — "a doctor" and "a teacher" since both begin with consonant sounds. Both are used in a general sense referring to profession.

⚠️ Note: The correct answer is B) a / a. "A doctor" and "a teacher" — both nouns begin with consonant sounds and are used in a general/indefinite sense referring to profession, as explained in Wren & Martin Chapter on Articles.

5. B) The / the Wren & Martin's rule: "The" is used before unique objects in nature (the sun, the moon) and before names of directions used as nouns (the east, the west).

6. B) a "One" begins with the consonant sound /w/ (as in "won"). Per Wren & Martin, "a" is used before words beginning with a consonant sound, regardless of the spelling. Hence "a one-rupee coin" is correct.

7. C) The Wren & Martin states that "the" is used before adjectives to refer to a class of people as a whole. "The poor" means "poor people in general."

8. C) the / the "The first person" — "the" is used before superlatives and ordinal numbers (first, second, etc.) as per Wren & Martin. "The meeting" — "the" is used because the specific meeting is already known to both speaker and listener.

9. A) an / a "An old man" — "an" before a vowel sound (/o/). "A tree" — "a" before a consonant sound (/t/). This is the first mention of both, so indefinite articles are used. Wren & Martin: indefinite articles are used when a person or thing is mentioned for the first time.

10. A) an / an "An eye" — "an" before vowel sound (/aɪ/). "An ear" — "an" before vowel sound (/ɪ/). Both phrases "an eye for detail" and "an ear for music" are standard idiomatic expressions. Wren & Martin's rule: use "an" before all words beginning with a vowel sound.