Grammar Topic

Articles

by Naren K

Career launcher Noida

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 ARTICLES

‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’ are called Articles.

‘a’, and ‘an’ are called Indefinite Articles while ‘the’ is called Definite
Article.

There are two types of Articles:

a. Indefinite article- a, an
b. Definite article- the

➢ A/ an are used before singular countable nouns when they are

indefinite and introduced for the first time.
Examples,

(a) This is chair. (Incorrect)

(b) Sita sang song. (Incorrect)
(c) This is umbrella. (Incorrect)

➢ An article comes before a noun.

Example, She is a student.

➢ If an adjective qualifies the noun, the article comes before the

adjective.
Example, She is an excellent student.
➢ If an adverb qualifies the ‘adjective’ qualifying the ‘noun’, the article
comes before the adverb.
Example, She is a very good student.

➢ Use of a/an:
a/an are used before indefinite singular countable nouns.
a/an are called indefinite articles.
Examples,

(a) I have a car.

(b) He sang a song.
(c) This is an orange.
(d) Ram is a student.
➢ ‘An’ is used only before vowel sounds. Remember ‘a,e,i,o,u’ do not
necessarily produce vowel sound.
➢ If the word starts not with vowel sound but with consonant sound,
article ‘a’ is used.

Examples,

● An umbrella
● A university
● A union
● A one rupee note
● An honest man
(a) He is an MLA/ MP
(b) He lodged an FIR.
(c) He is an IAS officer.
(d) He is an SDO.
(e) I have an x-ray machine.
(f) She in an LLB.
(g) I have been waiting for an hour.
(h) He is an heir to the throne.
(i) Ram is an honest person.
1. An hour. 14. A unit.
2. An honour. 15. A union.
3. An honourable person. 16. An Umbrella
4. An honest man 17. A unique planet.
5. An heir. 18. A useful book.
6. A house 19. A year.
7. An honorarium. 20. A one-rupee note.
8. A historical monument. 21. A one-eyed man.
9. A young man. 22. An orange
10. A ewe. 23. An F.O.
11. An eagle. 24. A forest officer.
12. A European. 25. An M.P
13. A university. 26. A Member of Parliament
Use of Definite article 'The' :

The' is used before definite nouns towards which we can point out;
the nouns that we can visualize or that has already been introduced.
'The' is hence called Definite article.
Eg. 1. Once upon a time, there lived a king. The king was very kind. One
day, he met an old man. The old man was very poor.

In the first sentence 'a king' is introduced. In the second sentence, we

have become familiar with the character 'king' and hence ‘the’ comes
before 'king'. In the third sentence 'an old man' is introduced and in the
fourth sentence after we have become familiar with the character 'old
man', 'the' comes before 'old man'.

Eg 2. The man in white shirt is my brother. (c) The boy standing near the
gate is my brother. In sentence (b) & (C), the is used to be specific about
the noun we are talking about.
USE OF INDEFINITE ARTICLE A/AN:

1. A/An is used before singular countable nouns which means that can
be counted.
Examples,
(a) I have a pen (b) She has a car. (b) Ram has an umbrella. (d) She is a
housewife.

2. In exclamatory sentences ‘a/an’ is used after ‘what’ and ‘how’ and

before the singular countable noun that comes in the sentence.
Examples,
(a) What a grand building!
(b) What a pretty girl!
3. In place of ‘per’, ‘a/an’ can be used.

(a) This car runs twenty kilometers a litre.

(b) I earn Rs. ten thousand a month.
(c) This train runs seventy kms. an hour

4. With a few words that denote the number of countable nouns

such as ‘hundred, thousand, million, dozen, couple, etc, ‘a’ is used.
Examples,

(a) A dozen pencils were bought by her.

(b) I have a hundred pens.
 5. ‘A’ is used before fractions and half/fractions.
Examples,
(a) 2 ¼ Metre -two and a quarter metre.
(b) 3 ½ Kilo-three and a half kilo.
(c) (c) She has to run half a mile every day.

6. When a verb is used as a noun, it takes article ‘a/an’ before it.

Examples,
(a) He goes for a walk daily.
(b) He has gone for a ride.
(c) I had a long talk with them.
(d) I want to have a drink.
7. If many/rather/quite/ such takes a singular noun after them,
‘a/an’ is used before the noun.
Examples,
a. Many a citizen would welcome this initiative.
b. It is rather a pity.
c. It was quite an impossible task.
d. It was such a foolish decision.
➢ In a few phrases A/An are used. Some of these phrases are:

In a fix, in a hurry, in a nutshell, make a noise, make a foot, keep a

secret, as a rule, at a stone's throw, a short while ago, at a loss, take a
fancy to, take an interest in, take a liking, a pity, tell a lie.

E.g.: (a) Never tell a lie.

(b) Do not make a noise.
(c) Twelve inches make a foot.
➢ In a few phrases A/An are not used. Some of these phrases are:

To lose heart, to set foot, to give ear, at home, last but not least, to catch fire,
in hand, set on fire, by car/bus etc, at last, by mistake, in danger, to take
heart.
E.g.: (a) I am at home.
(b) The house was set on fire.
(c) I go to college by bus.

➢ Where do we omit 'A/An' ?

1. a/an should not be used with a plural noun.
E.g.:
A boys have come
Boys have come (V)
The boys have come (7)
➢ A/An is not used with uncountable nouns:

Advice, Accommodation, Baggage, Luggage, News, Permission, Progress,

Scenery, Weather, Traffic, Knowledge, Music, Wine, Equipment, Information,
Poetry, Furniture, Hair, Business, Mischief, Bread, Stationery, Crockery,
Postage, Wastage, Money, Jewellery, Breakage, Work, Evidence.
E.g.:
(a) He gave me an advice (remove 'an')
(b) I will buy a furniture today (remove 'a)

NOTE: A few words are used before certain uncountable nouns to make
them countable.
E.g.: (a) I have a piece of information for you.
(b) I had a slice of bread.
(c) He gave me a piece of work to do.
➢ Articles are not used before the nouns, in sentences, starting with
'what kind of 'what sort of, 'what type of and 'what variety of.

E.g.:
(a) What sort of a man he is ! (Wrong)
(b) What sort of man he is! (Correct)
USE OF ARTICLE WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF NOUN PROPER NOUN
1. Article never comes with the names of any person or place.
E.g.: a. Ram was an obedient son.
B. Rome is an ancient city.

Exceptions:

➢ In the following cases article A/An is used before proper nouns.

E.g.:
(a) A Mr. Sharma has come to meet you.
(b) This book is written by a Hitesh Mishra.
In sentences (a) and (b), the nouns 'Mr. Sharma' and 'Mr. Hitesh
Mishra' are not known to the speaker and he knows only the name
that has been conveyed to him, so ‘A’ is used before 'Mr. Sharma and
Mr. Hitesh Mishra' When a person or place is mentioned in a sentence
for comparative purpose, 'the' comes before that proper noun.

(a) He is the Ram of modern India.

(b) He is a Hitler.
(c) Jaipur is the Rome of India.
1. 'The' comes before the names of a few places.
E.g.: The Ukraine, The Great Britain, The Netherlands, The Hague.

2. "The' does not come with the names of States. Exception- 'The Punjab'.

3. 'The' is not used with the name of any country. E.g.: Russia, China etc.

However, if 'Union', 'United', 'Republic' or 'Kingdom' comes with the

names of the country, 'the' is used.
E.g.: The U.S.A., The Soviet Union, The Irish Republic.
4. "The comes before the names of mountain ranges.
Eg: "The Himalayas', 'The Alps'.

Note: ‘Aravali' is not a mountain range. Hence ‘the’ doesn't come before it.
➢ The' doesn't come before the names of mountain peaks.
E.g.: Mt. Everest, Mt. Abu.

5. The' comes before 'nationality' but not with the name of any language.
Eg: The English speak English.
The English defeated the French.

6. Article does not come before the name of any disease.

Exceptions: The Measles, The Rickets, The Mumps, The Plague, The Flu.
7. "The' is used with the following Proper Nouns:

● Names of Rivers: The Yamuna, the Ganga, the Godawari, the Sutlej.
● Names of Seas: The Arabian sea, the Caribbean sea.
● Names of Oceans:The Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean.
● Names of Groups of islands: The lakshadweep, the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
● Names of Heavenly Objects: The Sun, the Venus,
● Names of Bays: The Bay of Bengal.
● Names of Deserts : The Sahara Desert.
● Names of Canals : The Suez Canal.
● Names of Newspapers : The Hindu, The Times of India.
● Names of Movements: The Quit India Movement
● Names of Union: The U.N.
● Names of Political Parties: The BJP, the Congress.
● Names of Statutes/Acts : The Indian Penal code, The Legislature.
● Names of Musical Instruments: The flute, the violin.
● Names of Religion: The Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikhs
● Names of Inventions: The telescope, the telephone.
● Names of Clubs : The Lions Club
● Names of Dynasty: The Marathas, the Peshwas.
● Names of body parts : Only when a possessive adjective is replaced
by any article otherwise articles don't come before parts of body.
E.g.: He was wounded in his/the eye.
● Dates: The 10th of May.
● Army/Police: The Army, the Police.
● Names of planets: The Venus, the Mars.
● Names of hotels: The Taj Hotel.
● Names of trophies/Cups: The World Cup.
● Names of Era, Revolutions & Wars: The Middle Ages, The French
Revolution.
● Names of things that are unique: The world, The universe, the
environment, the atmosphere.

8. "The' comes before space only when it means room/ area/ expanse.
Examples,
(a) He tried to park his car but the space was not enough.
(b) Many astronauts dream of going to space.
9. "The' is used before directions - The East, The West.
If direction comes before the name of any place, 'the' is not used.
E.g.: West Bengal
Article does not come before Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western as they
are adjectives and will not take any article unless followed by a suitable
noun.
E.g.: Western India

Some more examples: 1. The sun rises in the east. 2. He is going to North
America. 3. Rajasthan is in Western India. 4. Sweden is in Northern Europe.

10. Before the names of holy books: The Gita, The Bible.
11. Before the names of monuments : The Taj Mahal, the Red fort.

Note: ‘The' does not come before the names of buildings, monuments and
sacred books if the name comprises two or more words out of which one is
the name of a person or place,
Examples,
Delhi Airport, Victoria Palace, London Zoo, Jai Singh Palace, Indira Gandhi
Airport, Valmiki's Ramayana

12. Names of movements: The Quit India Movement.

13. Names of Posts: The chairman, The director

‘An’ can also be used before the names of the posts if we are talking about
one out of many similar posts.
She is a director of many companies.
14. Articles do not come with:

● Names of months : July, September etc.

● Names of days: Sunday, Monday etc.
● Names of subjects: Maths, Physics etc.
● Names of roads: Mall road, M. K. Road etc.
● Names of meals: Lunch, Dinner etc.
● Names of languages: English, Hindi etc.
● Names of Hobbies: Gardening, Singing etc.
● Names of Games: Hockey, Cricket etc.

15. Articles are not used before noun complement: appoint, make, elect,
select.
E.g.: They elected him the president.
16. 'The' is not used before 'Heaven', 'Hell', 'God' and 'Parliament. E.g.: (i)
Go to hell.
(ii) God resides in heaven.
(iii) The bill was passed in Parliament.
The Use of Articles with COMMON NOUN:

1. If an object is already known to both the speaker and the listener, article
‘The’ is used before it.
E.g.: (a) Kindly return the book. (That I gave you)
(b) Can you turn off the light.(The light in the room)

2. If an article comes before a singular common noun, it can represent the

entire species. E.g.: A dog is a faithful animal.

NOTE: Man doesn't come under this rule because the word 'man' means a
human being.
E.g.: Man is mortal.
3. When we talk about a personality present inside a person, article comes
with the name of that personality.
E.g.: (a) The judge (moral of judge) in him, prevailed upon the father (love of
father for his son) and he sentenced his son to death.

4. If Schools, colleges, Temple are denoted in reference to their primary

purpose, article is not used.
E.g.: Children should go to school.
I go to temple every morning.

5. An article is used if school, college, temple etc. denotes a place or a

building and not its primary purpose.
E.g.: My house is behind a school.
The college is next to the temple.
Abstract Noun/Material Noun:

1. No article is generally used with abstract nouns/Material Noun. They

are uncountable nouns hence A/An cannot be used with them.
E.g.: Gold is precious.
Honesty is the best policy.

Note: If nouns are followed by 'of’, an article precedes the noun.

2. Article + Noun + of + ...

Examples,
The honesty of this boy is liked by all.
Use of article with adjectives
(1) "The' is often used before superlative degree.
(a) He is the best student of our class.
(b) She is the most beautiful girl of the town.

(2) 'The' is used before the comparative degree, when two comparative
degrees are shown to be directly or inversely proportional to each other.
E.g.: (a) The more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be.
(b) The higher you rise, the greater is the fall.
(3) If one out of two are chosen, a comparative degree is used preceded by 'the' and
followed by 'of.
E.g.:
(a) He is the stronger of the two players.
(b) He is the better of the two wrestlers.

But if one out of many are chosen, a comparative degree is used, preceded by 'the'
and followed by 'of.
Eg. She is the best of all the players.

(4) When 'the' is used before adjectives like honest, rich, poor, meek etc., it denotes
the entire class and becomes plural common noun. Such nouns take plural verb.
E.g.: (a) The honest are always rewarded.
(b) The rich exploit the poor.
(c) The young and the old, the poor and the rich, all demand corruption free
India.
(5) When any adjective or a noun qualifies a proper noun, article 'the' is
used with the proper noun.
Eg.: Ashoka the great, The great Akbar, Napolean, the warrior.

(6) 'The' is used before Ordinal numbers (first, second, third etc). Whereas
Cardinal numbers such as one, two, three do not take any article before
them.
E.g.: (a) Chapter two of this book is very difficult.
(b) The second chapter of this book is very difficult.
(c) Volume one is on Grammar.
(d) The first volume is on Grammar.

(7) The' is used before adjective 'same' and 'whole' and after 'all and both
E.g.: (a) He is the same boy that met me in the market.
(b) The whole period was wasted.
(8) When Article 'a' or 'the' is used with few and little. the sentence takes a
different meaning.

(a) A few - Not equivalent to zero.

(b) Few - Equivalent to zero but not equal zero.
(c) The few - All that is available. Little (a) A little - Not equivalent to
nothing.

(b) Little - Equivalent to nothing but not equal to nothing.

(c) The little - All that is available.

(9) If so, as, too, how and quite are used before adjectives, A/An is used if
the noun that follows the adjective is singular.
E.g.: (a) It is too heavy a box for me to carry.
USE OF ARTICLE ACCORDING TO SUBJECT - VERB AGREEMENT

1. If an article is placed before the 1st subject only, it means the

person/thing is
the same for which two nouns are used. Hence singular verb will be used.
E.g.:
Churchill was a great orator and a great politician of his time. (Wrong)
Churchill was a great orator and politician of his time. (Correct)

➢ But if an article is used before every subject, it refers to different

people/things. Hence plural verb will be used.
Eg.:
(a) The director and the producer have come.
(bl The secretary and the treasurer were present there. (Here secretary &
treasurer are different individuals.)
2. Difference between A/An and One:

1. A and An are articles. One is an adjective

2. 'A' is used in the sense of 'per' as in per day, per week, per kg etc.

3. A' and 'One' gives different meanings to a sentence when used before a
noun.
E.g.: One cow is not enough for our joint family (we need two or more as the
consumption of milk is huge.)
A cow is a useful animal. (cows are useful)

4. One can be used with another/other but 'a' cannot be used.

E.g.: (a) One student wants to study, another wants to play.
(b) One day he comes, the other day he does not.
5. One' comes before day/week/month/year/summer/winter etc., when
we are referring to an incident on that particular day/week etc.

(a) One night there was a terrible storm.

(b) One day Ravana came to Sita's cottage.

6. Use of 'one day' does not point to any particular day.

E.g.: (a) One day you will realize your mistake.
(b) One day you will feel sorry for what you have done.
7. 'One' can be used as a /an pronoun too.
E.g.: (a) Did you get any berth? Yes, I managed to get one.

Note: Plural of 'one' is 'some'.

Eg: Did you get berths for your party workers ? Yes, I managed to get
some.

8. To Avoid repetition of a 'noun' we use pronoun 'one'.

E.g.: This car is better than that one.
1.

It recognises that it has a (A)/ responsibility to respond to

(B)/ public concerns and that public (C)/ attitudes to the
depiction of a violence are changing. (D)/ No error (E)
2.

United Nations (A)/ has exerted its (B)/ authority to restore

(C)/ peace in the area. (D)/ No error (E)
3.

It was only later (A)/ in the life that she (B)/ found happiness
(C)/ and peace of mind. (D)/ No error (E)
4.

I know enough (A)/ about the art to (B)/ recognize a

masterpiece (C)/ when I see one. (D)/ No error (E)
5.

It's not good (A)/ idea to spend (B)/ more than three (C)/
hours at the wheel (D)/ No error (E)
6.

The sooner I (A)/ get this piece of (B)/ work done, sooner (C)/
I can go home. (D)/ No error (E)
7.

For purposes of public policy, millionaire (A)/ is counted as rich

by virtue of her (B)/ command over resources, regardless (C)/
of her actual consumption. (D)/ No error (E)
8.

This is the most (A)/ important question (B)/ that you should
ask (C)/ at the end of the talk. (D)/ No error (E)
9.

Brahmaputra originates (A)/ from the Kailash (B)/ ranges of

Himalayas at (C)/ an elevation of 5300 M. (D)/ No error (E)
10.

Car is (A)/ responsible for causing (B)/ a lot of damage (C)/ to

our environment. (D)/ No error (E)
11.

Nobody has come (A)/ to collect the corpse. (B)/ It seems that
deceased (C)/ had no living relatives. (D)/ No error (E)
12.

The climate in (A)/ New Zealand was (B)/ bit nicer than (C)/
we had expected. (D)/ No error (E)
13.

The Principle asked (A)/ the students to (B)/ return to the

hostel (C)/ before the sunset. (D)/ No error (E)
14.

Tom was obviously (A)/ in the fear and trembling (B)/ of his
enemy after (C)/ hearing those threats. (D)/ No error (E)
15.

In the conclusion, (A)/ I would like (B)/ to thank our (C)/ guest
speaker. (D)/ No error (E)
16.

The man is the (A)/ only creature (B)/ that is endowed (C)/
with the power of speech. (D)/ No error (E)
17.

The whole staff is (A)/ of the opinion that (B)/ Mr. Sharma is a
very wise (C)/ and an intelligent officer. (D)/ No error (E)
18.

It is very much (A)/ difficult to point out (B)/ number of

creatures (C)/ living on our planet. (D)/ No error (E)
19.

The loss of jobs (A)/ is regarded by some (B)/ as necessary evil

in the (C)/ fight against inflation. (D)/ No error (E)
20.

He is the best (A)/ worker of the (B)/ factory but (C)/

unfortunately least paid. (D)/ No error (E)
1.

In our college the first (A)/ rank goes to a

student who (B)/ pleases the Principle not to
the (C)/ student to whom the first rank
occurred. (D)/ No error (E)
2.

It is only after (A)/ the war is over (B)/ that people realise (C)/
how bad it was. (D)/ No error (E)
3.

Of the two books, (A)/ this is definitely better (B)/ as it is

written (C)/ in simple terminology. (D)/ No error (E)
4.

She is unlucky enough (A)/ to lose few friends (B)/ she made
during (C)/ her stay at Mumbai. (D)/ No error (E)
5.

There were a number (A)/ of beautiful girls in (B)/ the party

but it was I who (C)/ remained a centre of attraction. (D)/ No
error (E)
6.

I have been (A)/ informed that (B)/ Mr. Ankit visits (C)/ Delhi
following month. (D)/ No error (E)
7.

He is the best (A)/ actor of the time (B)/ but unfortunately

least (C)/ recognised. (D)/ No error (E)
8.

He said that he (A)/ felt nervous because (B)/ the friend of his
had (C)/ met with an accident. (D)/ No error (E)
9.

I don’t like that type (A)/ of a woman who does (B)/ nothing
but spread (C)/ rumours about everybody. (D)/ No error (E)
10.

He claims to be the (A)/ ventriloquist but I (B)/ guess he

doesn't even know (C)/ the spelling of ventriloquist. (D)/ No
error (E)
11.

The remedy lies in (A)/ maintaining the hygiene (B)/ and the
social distancing so as to (C)/ combat the spread of COVID-19.
(D)/ No error (E)
12.

When the building (A)/ was set on the fire, (B)/ all the people
started (C)/ running outside the building. (D)/ No error (E)
13.

A first step in a rational (A)/ solution to any problem (B)/ is the

recognition of the (C)/ fact that a problem exists. (D)/ No error
(E)
14.

Little knowledge of (A)/ music that he possessed (B)/ proved

to be a boon for him (C)/ when he was utterly helpless. (D)/ No
error (E)
15.

I'm at loss as to (A)/ how they lost that (B)/ game after having
(C)/ a five-goal lead. (D)/ No error (E)
16.

He boasts of having (A)/ good knowledge of politics (B)/ but

everybody knows how (C)/ far he is good at politics. (D)/ No
error (E)
17.

The race was (A)/ neck and neck till (B)/ the very end, but (C)/
Sally won it by hair. (D)/ No error (E)
18.

The negligence of (A)/ the doctors may (B)/ put the lives of
(C)/ patients in a danger. (D)/ No error (E)
19.

We may have lost the election, (A)/ but we take the heart in the
fact (B)/ that so many young people are (C)/ now engaged and
excited about politics. (D)/ No error (E)
20.

I explained in the detail (A)/ how the proposed system (B)/

would work, but I think I may (C)/ have confused some people
in the audience. (D)/ No error (E)
21.

The most happy (A)/ marriage would (B)/ be a union of (C)/

two best friends. (D)/ No error (E)
22.

Raju suggested to his (A)/ brothers that they (B)/ should go to

the school (C)/ regularly and study hard. (D)/ No error (E)
23.

After returning from (A)/ the jail, he was (B)/ abandoned from
his (C)/ society and his workplace. (D)/ No error (E)
24.

He was an atheist (A)/ but now-a-days (B)/ he goes to the (C)/

temple and offers prayers. (D)/ No error (E)
25.

After seeing my (A)/ report card, my (B)/ father forbade me

(C)/ to go to cinema. (D)/ No error (E)
26.

I'm not angry that (A)/ you drove my car, (B)/ it's just fact that
(C)/ you didn't ask me first. (D)/ No error (E)
27.

There was little milk (A)/ in the bottle and (B)/ she gave it to
the (C)/ baby when it started crying. (D)/ No error (E)
28.

The policy of charging the (A)/ one who travel by the (B)/ air
for meals proved unpopular (C)/ and has already been
rescinded. (D)/ No error (E)
29.

Thanks to an insight (A)/ and persistence of the (B)/ task force,

hundreds of (C)/ flood victims were rescued. (D)/ No error (E)
30.

The trip from (A)/ York to Newcastle (B)/ takes about (C)/ a
hour by train. (D)/ No error (E)
Answer1: D

It recognises that it has a (A)/ responsibility to respond to (B)/

public concerns and that public (C)/ attitudes to the depiction of
violence are changing. (D)

Rule: Indefinite articles are not used before uncountable nouns.

Answer2: A

The United Nations (A)/ has exerted its (B)/ authority to restore (C)/
peace in the area. (D)

Rule: definite article ‘the’ is used before the organisations.

Answer3: B

It was only later (A)/ in the life that she (B)/ found happiness (C)/
and peace of mind. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is not used before ‘life, science, man, woman, etc,.’

Only when they are used to mention their primary meaning they take
articles.
For example,
1. He leads a happy life
2. The life of this patient is in danger.
Answer4: B

I know enough (A)/ about the art to (B)/ recognize a masterpiece

(C)/ when I see one. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is not used before ‘art’ when it is used as a ‘creation of

beauty’.
When it is used as ‘skill’, article is used.
For example,
The art of teaching
Answer5: A

It's not a good (A)/ idea to spend (B)/ more than three (C)/ hours at
the wheel (D)

Rule: idiomatic phrase: (that’s a) good idea/point/question:

used to say that someone has just said or suggested something
interesting or important that you had not thought of before
Answer:6 C

The sooner I (A)/ get this piece of (B)/ work done, the sooner (C)/ I
can go home. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is used before the comparative degree when two

comparative degrees are shown to be directly or indirectly
proportional to each other.
Answer7: A

For purposes of public policy, a millionaire (A)/ is counted as rich by

virtue of her (B)/ command over resources, regardless (C)/ of her
actual consumption. (D)

Rule: ‘a’ is used before ‘millionaire’, because it is a countable noun.

Answer8: A

This is a most (A)/ important question (B)/ that you should ask (C)/
at the end of the talk. (D)

Rule: ‘the most’ is used for superlative degrees, ‘a most’ is used for
positive degrees. In such cases, ‘a most’ means ‘very’.

Examples:

You are the most powerful man in this party

You are a most powerful man.
Answer9: A

The Brahmaputra originates (A)/ from the Kailash (B)/ ranges of

Himalayas at (C)/ an elevation of 5300 M. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is used before the name of the rivers.

Answer10: A

The car is (A)/ responsible for causing (B)/ a lot of damage (C)/ to
our environment. (D)

Rule: Definite article ‘the’ is used before a singular noun to refer to all
the things or people represented by that noun.
Answer11: C

Nobody has come (A)/ to collect the corpse. (B)/ It seems that the
deceased (C)/ had no living relatives. (D)

Rule: Definite article ‘the’ is used before some adjectives to turn the
adjectives into nouns that refer to one particular person or thing
described by the adjective
Answer12: C

The climate in (A)/ New Zealand was (B)/ a bit nicer than (C)/ we
had expected. (D)

Rule: ‘A bit’ is also used to modify comparative adjectives and

comparative determiners.
Answer13: D

The Principle asked (A)/ the students to (B)/ return to the hostel
(C)/ before the sunset. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is not used before ‘sunset, dawn, daybreak, sunrise, noon,
night, etc,.’
Answer14: B

Tom was obviously (A)/ in fear and trembling (B)/ of his enemy after
(C)/ hearing those threats. (D)

Rule: ‘in fear’ is an idiomatic expression.

Answer15: A

In the conclusion, (A)/ I would like (B)/ to thank our (C)/ guest
speaker. (D)

Rule: ‘in conclusion’ is an idiomatic phrase which is used to introduce

the last part of a speech or piece of writing.
Answer16: A

The man is the (A)/ only creature (B)/ that is endowed (C)/ with the
power of speech. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is not used before ‘man’ when it is used to refer to the
whole mankind.
Answer17: D

The whole staff is (A)/ of the opinion that (B)/ Mr. Sharma is a very
wise (C)/ and an intelligent officer. (D)

Rule: when two adjectives are used to denote the quality of a single
noun, article is used only before the first adjective.
Answer18: C

It is very much (A)/ difficult to point out (B)/ the number of

creatures (C)/ living on the earth. (D)
Answer19: C

The loss of jobs (A)/ is regarded by some (B)/ as a necessary evil in

the (C)/ fight against inflation. (D)
Answer20: D

He is the best (A)/ worker of the (B)/ factory but (C)/ unfortunately
the least paid. (D)
Answer1: B

In our college the first (A)/ rank goes to the student who (B)/ pleases
the Principle not to the (C)/ student to whom the first rank occurred.
(D)

Rule: The nouns preceding ‘who/which/that’ take the definite article

‘the’.
Answer2: B

It is only after (A)/ a war is over (B)/ that people realise (C)/ how
bad it was. (D)
Answer3: B

Of the two books, (A)/ this is definitely the better (B)/ as it is written
(C)/ in simple terminology. (D)/ No error (E)

Rule: When we use ‘of the two’ with the comparative degree, we use
‘the’ before the comparative adjective.
Answer4: B

She is unlucky enough (A)/ to lose THE few friends (B)/ she made
during (C)/ her stay at Mumbai. (D)
Answer5: D

There were a number (A)/ of beautiful girls in (B)/ the party but it
was Monika who (C)/ remained the centre of attraction. (D)
Answer6: Option 4, D

I have been (A)/ informed that (B)/ Mr. Ankit visits (C)/ Delhi the
following month. (D)
Answer7: C

He is the best (A)/ actor of the time (B)/ but unfortunately the least
(C)/ recognised. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is used before ‘first/last/least/ etc,.’

Answer8: C

He said that he (A)/ felt nervous because (B)/ a friend of his had
(C)/ met with an accident. (D)
Answer9: B

I don’t like that type (A)/ of a woman who does (B)/ nothing but
spread (C)/ rumours about everybody. (D)/ No error (E)

Rule: articles are not used after ‘kind of/ type of/ sort of/ etc,.’
Answer10: A

He claims to be a (A)/ ventriloquist but I (B)/ guess he doesn't even

know (C)/ the spelling of ventriloquist. (D)
Answer11: C

The remedy lies in (A)/ maintaining the hygiene (B)/ and the social
distancing so as to (C)/ combat the spread of COVID-19. (D)
Answer12: B

When the building (A)/ was set on the fire, (B)/ all the people started
(C)/ running outside the building. (D)

Rule: ‘on fire’ is an idiomatic phrase.

Answer13: A

The first step in a rational (A)/ solution to any problem (B)/ is the
recognition of the (C)/ fact that a problem exists. (D)

Rule: ‘the’ is used before ordinal adjectives.

Answer14: A

The little knowledge of (A)/ music that he possessed (B)/ proved to

be a boon for him (C)/ when he was utterly helpless. (D)

Rule:

● Little: almost none

● A little: It means some but less amount.
● The little: It means not much but all that is there.
Answer15: A

I'm at a loss as to (A)/ how they lost that (B)/ game after having (C)/
a five-goal lead. (D)

Rule: ‘at a loss’ is an idiomatic expression which means ‘totally

perplexed.’
Answer16: B

He boasts of having (A)/ a good knowledge of politics (B)/ but

everybody knows how (C)/ far he is good at politics. (D)
Answer17: D

The race was (A)/ neck and neck till (B)/ the very end, but (C)/ Sally
won it by a hair. (D)

Rule: “by a hair” is an idiomatic phrase which means “by an extremely

short or slim margin (of distance, time, or another measure)”.
Answer18: D

The negligence of (A)/ the doctors may (B)/ put the lives of (C)/
patients in a danger. (D)

Rule: ‘in danger, in trouble, in confusion, in debt, in demand, in detail,

in fact’, etc,. Are idiomatic expressions.
Answer19: B

We may have lost the election, (A)/ but we take the heart in the fact
(B)/ that so many young people are (C)/ now engaged and excited
about politics. (D)

Rule: “take heart” is an idiomatic expression which means “to have

one's confidence, courage, or happiness bolstered (by something).”
Answer20: A

I explained in the detail (A)/ how the proposed system (B)/ would
work, but I think I may (C)/ have confused some people in the
audience. (D)

Rule: “In detail” is an idiomatic expression which means “With a large

amount of details; very explicitly or thoroughly”.
Answer21: C

The most happy (A)/ marriage would (B)/ be the union of (C)/ two
best friends. (D)

Rule: the correct structure is: the + noun + of + noun

Answer22: C

Raju suggested to his (A)/ brothers that they (B)/ should go to the
school (C)/ regularly and study hard. (D)

Rule: When “school/ church/ jail/ temple/ market/ etc,.” are used to
mention their main purpose, then definite article ‘the’ is not used
before them.
Answer23: B

After returning from (A)/ the jail, he was (B)/ abandoned from his
(C)/ society and his workplace. (D)

Rule: When “school/ church/ jail/ temple/ market/ etc,.” are used to
mention their main purpose, then definite article ‘the’ is not used
before them.
Answer24: C

He was an atheist (A)/ but now-a-days (B)/ he goes to the (C)/

temple and offers prayers. (D)

Rule: When “school/ church/ jail/ temple/ market/ etc,.” are used to
mention their main purpose, then definite article ‘the’ is not used
before them.
Answer25: D

After seeing my (A)/ report card, my (B)/ father forbade me (C)/ to

go to the cinema. (D)

Rule: ‘go to the cinema/ circus/ theatre/ opera/ station/ etc,. are
idiomatic phrases.
Answer26: C

I'm not angry that (A)/ you drove my car, (B)/ it's just the fact that
(C)/ you didn't ask me first. (D)
Answer27: A

There was a little milk (A)/ in the bottle and (B)/ she gave it to the
(C)/ baby when it started crying. (D)

Rule:

● Little: almost none

● A little: It means some but less amount.
● The little: It means not much but all that is there.
Answer28: B

The policy of charging the (A)/ one who travel by the (B)/ air for
meals proved unpopular (C)/ and has already been rescinded. (D)

Rule: ‘by air, by car, by bus, etc,.’ are the idiomatic phrases.
Answer29: A

Thanks to the insight (A)/ and persistence of the (B)/ task force,
hundreds of (C)/ flood victims were rescued. (D)
Answer30: D

The trip from (A)/ York to Newcastle (B)/ takes about (C)/ an hour
by train. (D)