Adyayan.com

Menu

Articles

Articles
TOPICS â–¾ SORT BY â–¾
61. Can you speak ___ Spanish?
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: No article is used before the names of languages when referring to the ability to speak them.
62. He has taken to ___ smoking.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: 'Smoking' is used here as a gerund representing an activity or habit in a general sense. In such cases, no article is required.
63. The teacher punished ___ boy who was making a noise.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The boy is specified by the clause 'who was making a noise'. Therefore, he is a particular boy, and 'the' is used.
64. ___ little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
  • A. A
  • B. The
  • C. No article needed
  • D. An
Answer: This is a proverb. 'A little' means 'a small amount' and is used here to mean that a small amount of knowledge can be dangerous. 'Little' by itself would mean 'almost no knowledge'.
65. He drove the car at 80 miles ___ hour.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. per
Answer: In expressions of rate or speed, 'a' or 'an' is used to mean 'per'. 'Hour' begins with a vowel sound, so 'an' is correct.
66. She is suffering from ___ headache.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The indefinite article 'a' is used with certain common ailments like 'a headache', 'a cold', 'a fever'.
67. ___ iron and ___ steel are both produced in this factory.
  • A. The, the
  • B. No article needed, No article needed
  • C. An, a
  • D. The, No article needed
Answer: 'Iron' and 'steel' are material nouns used in a general sense, so they do not take an article.
68. It is ___ pity that he wasted his talent.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: 'A pity' is a fixed expression meaning 'something regrettable'. The article 'a' is a part of this phrase.
69. He is not just a teacher; he is ___ headmaster of the school.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: A school has only one headmaster, making the position unique and specific to that institution. Therefore, the definite article 'the' is used.
70. He works in ___ sales department of a multinational company.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: Names of specific departments within an organization are preceded by 'the'.
71. ___ pen is mightier than ___ sword.
  • A. A, a
  • B. The, the
  • C. No article needed, No article needed
  • D. A, the
Answer: This is a proverb where 'the pen' represents writing/intellect and 'the sword' represents warfare/force. Both are used to represent a class of things, so 'the' is used.
72. He flew to London via ___ Dubai.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: No article is used before the names of most cities, towns, or states.
73. ___ man you met yesterday is a renowned scientist.
  • A. A
  • B. An
  • C. The
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The man is specified and made particular by the clause 'you met yesterday'. Therefore, the definite article 'the' is used.
74. She is ___ heir to a vast fortune.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The word 'heir' begins with a vowel sound because the 'h' is silent. Thus, 'an' is the correct article.
75. ___ History is his favorite subject, but he is not very good at ___ history of modern India.
  • A. No article needed, the
  • B. The, the
  • C. A, the
  • D. No article needed, No article needed
Answer: 'History' as an academic subject (first blank) does not take an article. When it is specified ('the history of modern India'), it becomes particular and requires 'the'.
76. The patient has been taken to ___ hospital for treatment.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: When 'hospital' is visited for its primary purpose (medical treatment), no article is used.
77. ___ fewer friends you have, ___ more time you have for yourself.
  • A. A, the
  • B. The, the
  • C. No article needed, the
  • D. The, a
Answer: This is a parallel structure with comparatives ('the + comparative..., the + comparative...'). It shows a direct relationship between two things.
78. He has ___ unique talent for painting.
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: The word 'unique' starts with a consonant sound ('y'), so the article 'a' is used before it.
79. He set out on ___ journey to ___ Himalayas.
  • A. a, the
  • B. the, the
  • C. a, No article needed
  • D. the, a
Answer: 'A journey' is a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time. 'The Himalayas' is the name of a mountain range, which always takes 'the'.
80. What ___ shame that the event was cancelled!
  • A. a
  • B. an
  • C. the
  • D. No article needed
Answer: 'A shame' is a fixed expression used to mean something regrettable or disappointing. The article 'a' is part of this phrase.