Here are 25 multiple-choice questions on Articles (a, an, the) tailored for JKSSB and similar competitive exams:
Topic: Articles (a, an, the)
Instructions: Choose the most appropriate article (a, an, the) or indicate where no article is needed.
Q1. He is ____ honest man.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘Honest’ starts with the consonant ‘h’, but the sound is that of a vowel (‘o’). Therefore, ‘an’ is used.
Q2. ____ sun rises in ____ east.
(a) A, a
(b) The, the
(c) An, an
(d) A, the
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before unique objects like ‘sun’ and before directions like ‘east’.
Q3. She went to ____ market to buy ____ kilogram of apples.
(a) a, an
(b) the, a
(c) a, the
(d) the, an
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used when referring to a specific, understood market. ‘A kilogram’ refers to a single unit.
Q4. ____ Kashmir is known as ____ paradise on Earth.
(a) The, a
(b) An, the
(c) No article, a
(d) No article, the
Answer: (d)
Explanation: Generally, no article is used before proper nouns like ‘Kashmir’. ‘Paradise on Earth’ is a unique reference, hence ‘the’.
Q5. What ____ beautiful painting!
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (a)
Explanation: ‘A’ is used in exclamatory sentences before singular countable nouns.
Q6. ____ English is ____ interesting language.
(a) The, a
(b) No article, an
(c) An, the
(d) The, an
Answer: (b)
Explanation: No article is used before the name of a language (‘English’). ‘An’ is used before ‘interesting’ because it starts with a vowel sound.
Q7. He works as ____ engineer in ____ IT company.
(a) a, a
(b) an, an
(c) the, the
(d) an, a
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘An’ is used before ‘engineer’ (vowel sound) and ‘an’ before ‘IT’ (starts with a vowel sound ‘eye’).
Q8. Mount Everest is ____ highest peak in ____ world.
(a) a, the
(b) the, a
(c) the, the
(d) no article, the
Answer: (c)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before superlative adjectives (‘highest’) and before unique references like ‘the world’.
Q9. I saw ____ old man with ____ umbrella.
(a) an, a
(b) an, an
(c) a, an
(d) the, the
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘An’ is used before ‘old’ (vowel sound) and ‘an’ before ‘umbrella’ (vowel sound).
Q10. ____ Ganga is ____ sacred river.
(a) A, a
(b) The, a
(c) An, the
(d) The, the
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before the names of rivers. ‘A sacred river’ refers to one among many.
Q11. He is ____ university student.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (a)
Explanation: Although ‘university’ starts with a vowel letter, the sound is a consonant (‘yoo’). So, ‘a’ is used.
Q12. ____ poverty is ____ major problem in many countries.
(a) The, a
(b) No article, a
(c) A, the
(d) The, no article
Answer: (b)
Explanation: No article is generally used before abstract nouns like ‘poverty’ when used in a general sense. ‘A major problem’ refers to one problem.
Q13. ____ more you study, ____ better you perform.
(a) A, a
(b) The, the
(c) An, an
(d) The, a
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used in parallel structures with comparative adjectives to show proportional increase or decrease.
Q14. She bought ____ a dozen ____ eggs.
(a) a, no article
(b) no article, a
(c) the, the
(d) an, an
Answer: (a)
Explanation: ‘A dozen’ is a common phrase for a quantity. ‘Eggs’ is a plural noun and does not require an article here as it’s general.
Q15. Have you seen ____ movie ‘Mission Kashmir’?
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (c)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before the title of a specific movie, book, etc.
Q16. ____ United Nations is ____ international organization.
(a) A, an
(b) The, a
(c) The, an
(d) An, an
Answer: (c)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before names of organizations. ‘An’ is used before ‘international’ as it starts with a vowel sound.
Q17. ____ rich should help ____ poor.
(a) A, the
(b) The, a
(c) The, the
(d) An, an
Answer: (c)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before adjectives like ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ to refer to a whole class of people.
Q18. He drinks ____ cup of coffee every morning.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (a)
Explanation: ‘A cup’ refers to a single, unspecified cup of coffee.
Q19. ____ knowledge is power.
(a) A
(b) An
(c) The
(d) No article
Answer: (d)
Explanation: ‘Knowledge’ is an abstract noun used in a general sense, so no article is needed.
Q20. He plays ____ piano very well.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (c)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before musical instruments when talking about playing them.
Q21. My brother is ____ M.A. in English.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘M.A.’ starts with a consonant letter, but the sound is a vowel (’em’). Hence, ‘an’ is used.
Q22. ____ water in this river is very cold.
(a) A
(b) An
(c) The
(d) No article
Answer: (c)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used here to refer to a specific quantity of water (“water in this river”), not water in general.
Q3. She has ____ unique collection of stamps.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (a)
Explanation: ‘Unique’ starts with a vowel letter, but the sound is a consonant (‘yoo’). So, ‘a’ is used.
Q4. ____ French defeated ____ Germans in the war.
(a) A, a
(b) The, the
(c) An, an
(d) No article, no article
Answer: (b)
Explanation: ‘The’ is used before adjectives referring to nationalities to mean “the people of that nationality.”
Q5. Don’t make ____ noise.
(a) a
(b) an
(c) the
(d) no article
Answer: (a)
Explanation: ‘Make a noise’ is a common idiom.
