Welcome, Guest
Articles MCQ (A / An / The) β Daily Practice Set with Answers
Practice Articles (A/An/The/Zero Article) MCQs for SSC, Banking, Railways,
TPSC/APSC/WBPSC/State PSC and other competitive exams. Instant feedback + solution helps you improve accuracy.
Rule tip: Use βanβ with vowel sound (an hour), βaβ with consonant sound (a university),
βtheβ for specific/unique (the sun), and zero article for general plural/uncountable (Books are useful).
Q11. The work took half _______ hour.
π 2 viewsUse the article that matches the sound that starts the next word. "Hour" starts with a vowel sound (even though itβs written with h), so we use an: βhalf an hour.β If the next word began with a consonant sound, we would use a.
Some words start with a consonant letter but vowel sound (like hour, honor). The correct article is based on the sound, not the spelling.
Before a word with a vowel sound β an; before a word with a consonant sound β a.
Q12. Where is _______ pen that I have brought yesterday?
π 10 viewsUse the definite article the before a noun when you refer to a specific item that both speaker and listener know about. Here, "the pen" refers to a particular pen already identified (the one you brought). Indefinite articles a/an would be used if you were talking about any pen, not a specific one. Therefore, the correct choice is "the".
The definite article the is used for nouns that are known or unique, or have been mentioned before.
The β used for a specific item known to both speaker and listener.
Q13. We had __________ late lunch today.
π 16 viewsUse the indefinite article a before a word that begins with a consonant sound. "Late" starts with the consonant sound /l/, so we say βa late lunch.β βanβ is used before vowel sounds, which is not the case here. βtheβ would refer to a specific lunch, which isnβt indicated."
Before a consonant sound, use a; before a vowel sound, use an (e.g., a cat, an orange).
Consonant sound β a | Vowel sound β an
Q14. London is on _________ Thames..
π 20 viewsWe use the definite article the with well-known rivers when talking about a specific river. London is on the Thames because "Thames" refers to the specific river that runs by London. A/an is used for non-specific items, no article is used with many proper nouns in general, but river names like βThamesβ normally require the definite article. Example: We sailed down the Mississippi River, not βa Mississippi River.β
Most major river names in English take the definite article: the Nile, the Ganges, the Thames.
Rivers generally take the before their name.
Q15. Switzerland is ________ European country
π 7 viewsUse the indefinite article before a singular countable noun when mentioning it for the first time. The word European starts with a consonant sound (the initial /j/ sound), so we say βa European country,β not βan European.β The article is needed because we are talking about any European country, not a specific one. Example: He is looking for a European city to visit.
Some words that begin with a vowel letter but start with a consonant sound (like European) take βaβ instead of βan.β
A before consonant sound β a; An before vowel sound.
Q16. She is staying at_________ hotel in ___________ small town in Colorado.
π 30 viewsa ; a
Use an indefinite article "a" before a non-specific, singular noun that begins with a consonant sound. "hotel" starts with a consonant sound, so we say "a hotel." Similarly, "small town" is non-specific and singular, so we use "a" before it as well: "in a small town."
Use "a" before singular nouns with a consonant sound; use "an" before vowel sounds. Specific nouns take "the."
She stayed at a hotel in a small town.
Q17. We have bought _________ LCD television set.
π 19 viewsUse a/an based on the initial sound of the following word. LCD is pronounced as the letters L-C-D (ell-cee-dee), which begins with a vowel sound /e/; therefore "an LCD television set" is correct. Using "a" would be incorrect here, and neither "the" nor zero article fits the generic, non-specific noun in this sentence.
Initialisms (acronyms) are often treated by their sound, not spelling. If the first sound is a vowel, use an; if itβs a consonant, use a/an consonant article accordingly.
Before initialisms: if starting sound is a vowel β an; if consonant β a.
Q18. She spent ________ hour waiting for him.
π 4 viewsIndefinite articles (a, an) are used before singular countable nouns. Use 'an' before a word that begins with a vowel sound. The noun here is "hour," which starts with a silent 'h' and a vowel sound /aΚΙr/. So we say "an hour" not "a hour." The other options are incorrect: 'a' before a consonant sound, 'the' is a definite article, and 'zero article' is not used for a singular countable noun here.
Silent letters can change the article: hour -> an hour, honor -> an honor (pronounced /ΛΙΛn/).
Before words with a vowel sound, use 'an'.
Q19. We visited _________ Himalayas last year.
π 7 viewsUse the definite article "the" with unique geographical features or groups of features, such as mountain ranges. The Himalayas is a specific, well-known mountain range, so we say: We visited the Himalayas last year. A or an would be used for singular, non-specific nouns, and zero article is not correct here because the range is a definite, identifiable entity.
Geographical names that are plural or refer to a group (e.g., the Andes, the Alps) usually take the definite article "the".
The + plural geographical name refers to a specific range.
Q20. He had ________ one-rupee note.
π 4 views