WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-usage of articles
10 MCQs on Articles, Use of Articles, Omission of the Article and Repetition of the Article
1. "She wants to become ___ engineer after completing her degree from the prestigious university." — Choose the correct article to fill in the blank.
- A) A
- B) An
- C) The
- D) No article required
Answer: B) An ("An" is used before words beginning with a vowel sound — "engineer" begins with the vowel sound "e" — the indefinite article "an" is used instead of "a" before any word that begins with a vowel sound regardless of whether the first letter is a vowel or a consonant — the choice between "a" and "an" depends entirely on sound not spelling.)
2. "He is *___ * honest man who has always stood firmly by his principles throughout his life." — Choose the correct article.
- A) A
- B) The
- C) An
- D) No article required
Answer: C) An ("An" is used before "honest" because the letter "h" in "honest" is silent and the word begins with a vowel sound "o" — the rule is that "an" is used before words beginning with a vowel sound not a vowel letter — other examples include "an hour" "an heir" and "an honour" where the "h" is silent.)
3. "The principal announced that *___ * best student of the year would receive a special award." — Choose the correct article.
- A) A
- B) An
- C) No article required
- D) The
Answer: D) The ("The" is the definite article used before superlatives — "best" is a superlative adjective and superlative adjectives are always preceded by the definite article "the" — this is because superlatives refer to a specific unique entity that stands above all others making the use of "the" obligatory.)
4. "She plays *___ * piano beautifully and has been learning it since she was five years old." — Choose the correct article.
- A) A
- B) An
- C) The
- D) No article required
Answer: C) The ("The" is used before the names of musical instruments — this is a fixed rule in English grammar — whenever a musical instrument is referred to in a general sense the definite article "the" is used — examples include "play the violin" "play the guitar" "play the flute" and "play the drums.")
5. "They went to *___ * church every Sunday morning to attend the weekly prayer service." — Choose the correct article.
- A) A
- B) An
- C) The
- D) No article required
Answer: D) No article required (When places such as "church" "school" "college" "hospital" "prison" or "bed" are visited for their primary purpose no article is used — "going to church" means going for worship which is the primary purpose of a church — if the sentence referred to the building itself the article would be required as in "the church was renovated.)
6. "He was appointed *___ * chairperson of the newly formed committee by the board of directors." — Choose the correct article.
- A) An
- B) A
- C) The
- D) No article required
Answer: C) The ("The" is used before a unique position or title when there is only one such position — "chairperson of the newly formed committee" refers to a specific and unique post — the definite article "the" is used before titles and positions that are singular and specific within a particular group or organisation.)
7. "She bought *___ * new dress and *___ * pair of shoes for the wedding ceremony." — Choose the correct articles.
- A) The — the
- B) A — a
- C) An — a
- D) A — an
Answer: B) A — a (Both "dress" and "pair of shoes" are being mentioned for the first time and refer to non-specific items — the indefinite article "a" is used before nouns beginning with a consonant sound when they are mentioned for the first time or when they are non-specific — "dress" begins with the consonant sound "d" and "pair" begins with the consonant sound "p.")
8. "Which of the following sentences correctly illustrates the repetition of the article to show a distinction between two different entities?"
- A) She bought a black and white dress for the occasion.
- B) He is a secretary and treasurer of the organisation.
- C) The black and the white pieces on the chessboard must be placed correctly.
- D) She met a tall and handsome man at the conference.
Answer: C) The black and the white pieces on the chessboard must be placed correctly. (When "the" is repeated before each adjective it indicates that two separate and distinct groups of pieces are being referred to — "the black" refers to one specific set and "the white" refers to another specific set — repeating the article emphasises that these are two different and distinct entities rather than one combined entity.)
9. "Which of the following sentences correctly illustrates the omission of the article before a proper noun?"
- A) She visited the Paris during her summer vacation last year.
- B) He studied at the Oxford University for his postgraduate degree.
- C) She is a great admirer of Shakespeare and his timeless works.
- D) They crossed the River Thames during their tour of London.
Answer: C) She is a great admirer of Shakespeare and his timeless works. (No article is used before proper nouns such as the names of specific people — "Shakespeare" is a proper noun referring to a specific individual and does not require an article — however articles are used before some proper nouns such as names of rivers "the Thames" mountain ranges "the Himalayas" and oceans "the Pacific.")
10. "She is *___ * university student and her brother is *___ * undergraduate at the same institution." — Choose the correct articles.
- A) An — an
- B) The — the
- C) A — an
- D) An — a
Answer: C) A — an ("A" is used before "university" because despite beginning with the vowel letter "u" the word "university" begins with the consonant sound "yu" — "an" is used before "undergraduate" because it begins with the vowel sound "u" — the choice between "a" and "an" is always determined by the initial sound of the following word not its spelling.)
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