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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 โanโ with vowel sound (an hour), โaโ with consonant sound (a university),
โtheโ for specific/unique (the sun), and zero article for general plural/uncountable (Books are useful).
Q51. The Ganga is considered holy by _______ Indians.
๐ 24 viewsUse the definite article the with a specific group of people. When you say "the Indians," you refer to the particular group known as Indians. Since "Ganga" is a specific river (often used with "the"), the sentence requires a definite article before the noun phrase "Indians."
With demonyms (like Indians), we often use the definite article with a known or specific group: the Americans, the French, the Indians.
Specific group โ the
Q52. He died ______ peaceful death.
๐ 35 viewsUse the indefinite article a/an before a singular, countable noun when mentioning one non-specific item. โDeathโ is singular and countable here, and โpeacefulโ starts with a consonant sound, so we say โa peaceful death.โ โAnโ would be used before a vowel sound, e.g., โan honorable deathโ (note: honorable starts with a vowel sound). โTheโ would refer to a specific death, and zero article isnโt appropriate for a single, unspecified instance.
Before a consonant sound, use a; before a vowel sound, use an.
Consonant sound โ a | Vowel sound โ an
Q53. _________ rich and poor, young and old met together.
๐ 54 viewszero rticle
When adjectives like rich, poor, young, etc., are used to refer to people in general, they can function as a noun phrase without an article. This expresses a general statement about all people in those categories. Using "the" would refer to a specific group (the rich and the poor). A or an is incorrect because they cannot modify the plural, generic sense here.
Use zero article before adjectives used as general nouns describing people (e.g., Rich and poor, Young and old). Use "the" if you mean a specific, known group (the rich and the poor).
Rich and poor alike supported the charity.
Q54. _____________ rich is not always happy.
๐ 42 viewsWhen adjectives used as a noun (the rich, the poor) refer to a group of people, we use the definite article โthe.โ Here, rich is an adjective turned into a noun meaning โrich people as a group,โ so โthe richโ is correct. Using โaโ or โanโ would not refer to a specific group as a class. โtheโ is used with a defined group, and โzero articleโ is not used before such a plural noun form.
We use the definite article with adjectives used as nouns to mean a group: the rich, the poor, the elderly.
The + adjective used as a noun = a group of people (the rich, the poor).
Q55. The boy is studying in ____________ university.
๐ 19 viewsQ56. This is __________ one-man show.
๐ 13 viewsUse the indefinite article a before a singular countable noun when the following sound is a consonant. โOne-man showโ begins with a consonant sound (/w/), so we say โa one-man show.โ If it started with a vowel sound, we would use an.
The choice between a and an depends on sound, not spelling. For example, โan hourโ uses an because hour starts with a vowel sound after the silent h.
Consonant sound โ a | Vowel sound โ an
Q57. He is _________ honourable man in the locality.
๐ 13 viewsUse the article 'an' before a word that begins with a vowel sound. In British English, the word 'honourable' starts with a silent h, so its pronunciation begins with the vowel sound /ษ/ (or /ษห/), making 'an' correct: an honourable man. 'A' is used before consonant sounds, 'the' is a definite article, and 'zero article' means no article at all, which is not appropriate here.
Before a silent 'h' word, English uses 'an' because the word begins with a vowel sound.
Vowel sound โ an | Silent/voiced H โ an
Q58. Honest men speak ________ truth.
๐ 21 viewsWith abstract nouns like truth, we often refer to a specific truth that is commonly known or understood. The definite article the is used to indicate this particular truth: โHonest men speak the truth.โ The other options donโt fit: a/an would be incorrect with a non-count noun here, and zero article isnโt the natural idiom for this general truth.
The definite article the is used to refer to something specific that both speaker and listener know about.
The + abstract noun โ speak the truth
Q59. Srilanka is ________ island.
๐ 23 viewsUse an before a word that begins with a vowel sound. The word "island" starts with a vowel sound /หaษช/, so it takes "an" instead of "a". Therefore, "Sri Lanka is an island." (Note: "Sri Lanka" is a proper noun; articles apply to the noun "island.")
An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound, not necessarily a vowel letter. For example: an hour, an umbrella, a university.
Before a word with a vowel sound โ an.
Q60. Let us discuss __________ matter seriously.
๐ 24 viewsBefore a singular countable noun, use the definite article the when you mean a specific thing both speaker and listener know about. Here, the sentence refers to a particular matter, so the matter is correct. A or an would mean any matter (non-specific), and zero articles would be used for plurals or uncountable nouns in general or with proper nouns. Example: โLet us discuss the matter today.โ
Use the definite article the with a singular noun when you are talking about a specific item that has been previously mentioned or is common knowledge.
Specific thing โ the