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21. He reached the summit of ___ Mount Blanc last year.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: While 'the' is used for mountain ranges (e.g., the Alps), no article is used before the names of individual peaks like Mount Blanc or Mount Everest.
22. ___ Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency.
  • A. A
  • B. An
  • C. The
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The definite article 'the' is used with names of groups of islands or specific island names that include a common noun like 'Isle' or 'Republic'.
23. By ___ great stroke of luck, he found his lost wallet.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: 'A stroke of luck' is an idiomatic phrase. The adjective 'great' modifies 'stroke', but the article 'a' remains necessary for the singular countable noun 'stroke'.
24. He leads ___ very busy life.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: When the abstract noun 'life' is qualified by an adjective (busy), it takes an indefinite article 'a'.
25. My father is ___ engineer, and my mother is ___ home-maker.
  • A. an, a
  • B. an, the
  • C. a, a
  • D. the, No article needed
Answer: 'Engineer' begins with a vowel sound, so 'an' is used. 'Home-maker' begins with a consonant sound, so 'a' is used. Both are professions mentioned for the first time.
26. ___ English defeated ___ Spanish in 1588.
  • A. No article needed, No article needed
  • B. The, the
  • C. An, the
  • D. The, No article needed
Answer: When referring to the people of a nation, the definite article 'the' is used before the nationality (e.g., the English, the Spanish, the French).
27. This is ___ best book I have ever read on ___ subject of philosophy.
  • A. a, the
  • B. the, the
  • C. the, No article needed
  • D. a, No article needed
Answer: 'The' is used before superlative adjectives like 'best'. No article is used before the names of academic subjects like 'philosophy' in a general sense.
28. I need to buy ___ pair of scissors.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. some
Answer: Nouns that exist in pairs like 'scissors', 'trousers', 'spectacles' are plural. To refer to one item, we use the phrase 'a pair of'.
29. He was elected ___ chairman of the board.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: When nouns like 'chairman', 'president', 'captain' are used after verbs like 'elect', 'appoint', 'make', 'choose' to refer to a unique position, no article is used.
30. Iron is ___ useful metal.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: Though 'iron' is a material noun and usually takes no article, here we are talking about 'metal', which is a countable noun. 'Useful' starts with a consonant sound ('y'), so 'a' is used.
31. ___ honesty you showed is commendable.
  • A. A
  • B. An
  • C. The
  • D. No article needed
Answer: Abstract nouns like 'honesty' do not take an article in general. However, when it is particularized (the honesty 'you showed'), the definite article 'the' is used.
32. The meeting will be held on ___ fourth of July.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The definite article 'the' is always used before ordinal numbers (first, second, fourth, etc.).
33. Not a word was said in ___ self-defense.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: 'In self-defense' is a fixed prepositional phrase that does not take an article.
34. I have ___ little money left, so I can't afford that.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: 'Little' without an article means 'almost none' or 'hardly any'. 'A little' means 'a small amount'. Since the speaker can't afford something, it implies a negative quantity, so 'little' is used.
35. His office is on ___ tenth floor.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: Ordinal numbers, such as 'first', 'second', 'tenth', are preceded by the definite article 'the'.
36. The guide knows ___ way very well.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: Here, 'way' refers to a specific, known route that the guide is familiar with, so the definite article 'the' is appropriate.
37. ___ USA is a country made up of 50 states.
  • A. A
  • B. An
  • C. The
  • D. No article needed
Answer: Names of countries that are plural or include words like 'republic', 'kingdom', 'states' are preceded by 'the'.
38. What ___ beautiful painting! It must have cost a fortune.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: In exclamatory sentences beginning with 'What' followed by a singular countable noun, the article 'a' or 'an' is used.
39. He traveled from ___ north to ___ south of India.
  • A. the, the
  • B. No article needed, No article needed
  • C. a, a
  • D. the, No article needed
Answer: The definite article 'the' is used before cardinal directions (north, south, east, west).
40. ___ death of the president left the nation in shock.
  • A. A
  • B. An
  • C. The
  • D. No article needed
Answer: While 'death' in a general sense takes no article, here it is a specific death (of the president), so it is particularized and requires 'the'.