Quick Navigation: Mega Revision Test

• Part 1: High-Frequency ‘A’ vs. ‘An’ PYQs (Questions 1-20)
• Part 2: Critical Rules of ‘The’ (PYQ Mix) (Questions 21-40)
• Part 3: Tricky Omission & Idiomatic Usage (PYQs) (Questions 41-60)
• Part 4: PYQ Error Spotting Challenge (Questions 61-80)
• Part 5: PYQ Sentence Improvement (Articles) (Questions 81-100)

Q1. She has ______ M.Sc. degree in Physics.
(SSC CHSL)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: B) an
‘M.Sc.’ begins with a vowel ‘e’ sound (’em-ess-see’).

Q2. He is considered ______ honest politician by many.
(CDS Exam)

A) a
B) an
C) some
D) the

Answer & Explanation: B) an
The article precedes ‘honest’, which starts with a vowel sound.

Q3. I need to catch ______ early morning flight.
(IBPS Clerk)

A) a
B) the
C) an
D) any

Answer & Explanation: C) an
‘Early’ starts with a vowel sound.

Q4. That was ______ unanimous decision taken by the committee.
(Bank PO)

A) an
B) a
C) the
D) that

Answer & Explanation: B) a
‘Unanimous’ begins with a consonant ‘y’ sound (‘you-nanimous’).

Q5. He received ______ Yule-themed gift.
(Advanced Vocabulary)

A) an
B) a
C) some
D) any

Answer & Explanation: B) a
‘Yule’ starts with a consonant ‘y’ sound.

Q6. It was ______ historic moment for the nation.
(UPSC CSE Prelims)

A) an
B) a
C) the
D) some

Answer & Explanation: B) a
In standard modern usage, the ‘h’ in ‘historic’ is pronounced, taking ‘a’.

Q7. My sister is ______ NCC cadet.
(Defence Exams)

A) a
B) the
C) any
D) an

Answer & Explanation: D) an
‘NCC’ begins with a vowel ‘e’ sound (‘en-see-see’).

Q8. She found ______ used book that was still in good condition.
(TGT English)

A) an
B) some
C) a
D) the

Answer & Explanation: C) a
‘Used’ starts with a consonant ‘y’ sound (‘yoozed’).

Q9. He bought ______ house for his family.
(SSC MTS)

A) a
B) an
C) some
D) one

Answer & Explanation: A) a
‘House’ starts with a pronounced ‘h’.

Q10. This is ______ unusual problem.
(CDS Exam)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) very

Answer & Explanation: B) an
‘Unusual’ begins with a vowel sound.

Q11. It takes ______ hour and a half to get there.
(Common PYQ)

A) an
B) a
C) the
D) near

Answer & Explanation: A) an
The ‘h’ in ‘hour’ is silent.

Q12. What ______ magnificent building!
(Exclamatory Sentence)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) some

Answer & Explanation: A) a
‘Magnificent’ starts with a consonant sound.

Q13. He has ______ keen eye for detail.
(IBPS PO)

A) a
B) an
C) some
D) the

Answer & Explanation: A) a
The article agrees with the sound of the word immediately following it, which is ‘keen’ (a consonant sound). Therefore, it should be ‘a keen eye’.

Q14. The police have issued ______ warning to the public.
(SSC CPO)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) many

Answer & Explanation: A) a
‘Warning’ is a singular countable noun and requires ‘a’ in this context.

Q15. She is ______ untidy person.
(PGT English)

A) an
B) a
C) the
D) very

Answer & Explanation: A) an
‘Untidy’ starts with a vowel sound.

Q16. It was ______ heroic deed.
(CDS)

A) an
B) a
C) some
D) one

Answer & Explanation: B) a
The ‘h’ in ‘heroic’ is pronounced.

Q17. My sister is ______ PhD candidate.
(UGC NET)

A) an
B) the
C) a
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: C) a
‘PhD’ begins with a consonant ‘p’ sound (‘pee-aych-dee’).

Q18. This is ______ UNESCO World Heritage site.
(UPSC/GK Question)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) that

Answer & Explanation: A) a
‘UNESCO’ is an acronym pronounced as a word starting with a ‘y’ sound (‘yoo-nes-ko’).

Q19. He works in ______ hotel in the city centre.
(KVS TGT)

A) a
B) an
C) some
D) the

Answer & Explanation: A) a
The ‘h’ in hotel is pronounced, requiring ‘a’.

Q20. What ______ pity you can’t join us!
(Exclamatory Sentence)

A) a
B) the
C) no article
D) an

Answer & Explanation: A) a
‘What a pity’ is the correct exclamatory phrase.

Q21. ______ higher you climb, ______ colder it gets.
(SSC CGL Mains)

A) A, a
B) The, a
C) The, the
D) No article, no article

Answer & Explanation: C) The, the
This is a standard parallel construction requiring ‘the’ before both comparatives.

Q22. This is ______ only organization that can help us.
(Bank PO Mains)

A) a
B) an
C) some
D) the

Answer & Explanation: D) the
For emphasis and uniqueness, words like ‘only’ and ‘same’ are preceded by ‘the’.

Q23. He is considered ______ Sachin Tendulkar of our team.
(Proper Noun Comparison)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: C) the
When a proper noun is used to exemplify qualities, ‘the’ is used before it.

Q24. ______ Bible is the holy book of ______ Christians.
(UP TGT)

A) The, the
B) A, the
C) The, a
D) A, no article

Answer & Explanation: A) The, the
‘The’ is used before holy books and before names of communities.

Q25. Our ship crossed ______ Indian Ocean in ten days.
(CDS Exam)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) some

Answer & Explanation: C) the
‘The’ is used before the names of oceans.

Q26. Who is ______ current CEO of Google?
(Unique Position – IBPS)

A) a
B) the
C) an
D) any

Answer & Explanation: B) the
Titles of unique posts like CEO, President, Prime Minister are preceded by ‘the’.

Q27. ______ boy who won the race is my cousin.
(Specific Noun – SSC)

A) The
B) A
C) Any
D) An

Answer & Explanation: A) The
The boy is specifically identified by the clause ‘who won the race’.

Q28. She is ______ most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
(Superlative Degree)

A) a
B) any
C) the
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: C) the
Superlatives always take ‘the’.

Q29. What is ______ capital of Australia?
(UPSC CSE Prelims/GK)

A) a
B) the
C) an
D) which

Answer & Explanation: B) the
Asking for a specific, unique thing (the capital).

Q30. He plays ______ piano exceptionally well.
(Musical Instrument)

A) a
B) any
C) the
D) some

Answer & Explanation: C) the
Names of musical instruments take ‘the’.

Q31. We should help ______ unemployed.
(Representing a Class)

A) the
B) a
C) an
D) any

Answer & Explanation: A) the
‘The’ + adjective represents a whole class of people.

Q32. ______ Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
(Canals – CDS)

A) A
B) The
C) No article
D) An

Answer & Explanation: B) The
‘The’ is used before the names of canals.

Q33. He lives on ______ ninth floor of this building.
(Ordinal Numbers)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) any

Answer & Explanation: C) the
‘The’ is used before ordinal numbers.

Q34. I bought this book from ______ stall you mentioned.
(Specific Noun)

A) a
B) the
C) any
D) an

Answer & Explanation: B) the
The stall is made specific by the phrase ‘you mentioned’.

Q35. I admire ______ wisdom of Solomon.
(Specific Abstract Noun)

A) a
B) any
C) no article
D) the

Answer & Explanation: D) the
‘Wisdom’ becomes specific when attached to a particular person (‘of Solomon’).

Q36. He lives in ______ UK but works in ______ Germany.
(Country Names – PYQ)

A) the, the
B) the, no article
C) no article, the
D) a, no article

Answer & Explanation: B) the, no article
‘The’ is used for the UK (United Kingdom), but no article is used for Germany.

Q37. I am going to ______ post office to mail a letter.
(Public Place)

A) a
B) any
C) the
D) an

Answer & Explanation: C) the
This refers to the local, specific post office known to the speaker.

Q38. She was ______ first woman to become Prime Minister.
(Ordinals)

A) an
B) a
C) the
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: C) the
Ordinals like ‘first’ always take ‘the’.

Q39. ______ Punjab is a land of five rivers.
(Exception for State Names – SSC)

A) The
B) A
C) No article
D) An

Answer & Explanation: A) The
While states don’t usually take an article, ‘Punjab’ is a key exception because its name has a geographical meaning (‘land of five rivers’).

Q40. This is ______ exact information I was looking for.
(Emphasis)

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) any

Answer & Explanation: C) the
Words like ‘exact’, ‘same’, ‘only’ often take ‘the’ for emphasis.

Q41. Let’s not make ______ fuss over such a small issue.
(Idiom)

A) a
B) the
C) any
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: A) a
The idiom is ‘to make a fuss’.

Q42. The criminal was finally brought to ________ book.
(Idiom – SSC CGL)

A) the
B) a
C) no article
D) an

Answer & Explanation: C) no article
The idiom ‘bring to book’ means to punish or call to account. It uses no article.

Q43. She knows _______ German, but not very well.
(Languages)

A) the
B) a
C) no article
D) some

Answer & Explanation: C) no article
Names of languages do not take an article.

Q44. They fought the battle with ________ great courage.
(Abstract Noun)

A) a
B) the
C) some
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: D) no article
When an abstract noun is modified by ‘great’, an article is often omitted.

Q45. He travels a lot and often sleeps in ________ bus.
(Mode of Transport vs Location)

A) a
B) the
C) no article
D) some

Answer & Explanation: B) the
While he travels ‘by bus’ (no article), here he is sleeping ‘in the bus’ (a specific physical location).

Q46. The court let him off ________ hook.
(Idiom)

A) a
B) no article
C) the
D) some

Answer & Explanation: C) the
The idiom is ‘let someone off the hook’.

Q47. I don’t feel like cooking, let’s have ________ dinner outside.
(Meals – General)

A) the
B) a
C) no article
D) some

Answer & Explanation: C) no article
Meals in a general sense do not take an article.

Q48. They put ______ heart and soul into the project.
(Idiom)

A) their a…a
B) no article…no article
C) their…their
D) the…the

Answer & Explanation: B) no article…no article
The idiom is ‘to put heart and soul into something’, with no articles.

Q49. My uncle will retire from ______ service next year.
(Professional Life)

A) a
B) no article
C) the
D) any

Answer & Explanation: B) no article
‘From service’ is the common phrase.

Q50. The politician was in ________ danger of losing the election.

A) a
B) the
C) any
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: D) no article
The correct idiom is ‘in danger’.

Q51. What ________ fool he is!
(Exclamatory Sentence)

A) a
B) the
C) an
D) some

Answer & Explanation: A) a
‘What a…’ is the structure for exclamations with singular countable nouns.

Q52. Let’s go to ______ church to admire the architecture.
(Secondary Purpose)

A) a
B) no article
C) an
D) the

Answer & Explanation: D) the
Visiting for a secondary purpose (not prayer) requires ‘the’.

Q53. He made ________ mistake and paid for it.
(Idiom)

A) the
B) some
C) no article
D) a

Answer & Explanation: D) a
The idiom is ‘to make a mistake’.

Q54. She never sets ________ foot out of the house on Sundays.

A) the
B) her a
C) no article
D) any

Answer & Explanation: C) no article
‘Set foot’ is the idiom.

Q55. In ________ fact, he is the real culprit.

A) a
B) the
C) no article
D) any

Answer & Explanation: C) no article
The correct phrase is ‘In fact’.

Q56. _______ men are from Mars, women are from Venus.

A) The…the
B) No article…no article
C) A…a
D) The…no article

Answer & Explanation: B) No article…no article
When ‘men’ and ‘women’ represent the entire gender class, no article is used.

Q57. I am fond of _______ classical music.

A) a
B) the
C) any
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: D) no article
‘Classical music’ as a genre does not take an article.

Q58. She was promoted to ________ rank of Colonel.

A) a
B) any
C) no article
D) the

Answer & Explanation: D) the
The phrase ‘the rank of’ requires the definite article.

Q59. To tell ________ truth, I do not agree with you.

A) a
B) an
C) the
D) no article

Answer & Explanation: C) the
The idiom is ‘to tell the truth’.

Q60. They appointed him ________ ambassador to Russia.

A) no article
B) the
C) an
D) a

Answer & Explanation: A) no article
After ‘appointed’ followed by a unique post, the article is usually omitted.

Q61. A great many students (A)/ have been declared (B)/ successful in a competition. (C)/ No Error (D)
(SSC CGL)

Answer & Explanation: C) successful in a competition.
The reference to competition is general. It should be ‘in the competition’, referring to the specific competition being discussed.

Q62. It being a Sunday, (A)/ he went out for a trip (B)/ to the Agra. (C)/ No Error (D)
(Bank Clerk)

Answer & Explanation: C) to the Agra.
Names of cities do not take an article. It should be ‘to Agra’.

Q63. I was an youngest (A)/ and most adventurous (B)/ of all my siblings. (C)/ No Error (D)
(CDS Exam)

Answer & Explanation: A) I was an youngest
‘Youngest’ is a superlative and must take ‘the’.

Q64. There was a (A)/ little milk in the refrigerator (B)/ and she gave it to her crying son. (C)/ No Error (D)
(PGT English)

Answer & Explanation: A) There was a
‘The little milk’ refers to the small but specific amount that existed (and was then given away). ‘A little’ would imply some milk, and ‘Little’ would imply almost none. Given the context, ‘The little…’ is the most precise answer.

Q65. My elder sister came (A)/ home after the sunset (B)/ and had gone before sunrise. (C)/ No Error (D)
(SSC CPO)

Answer & Explanation: B) home after the sunset
The correct idioms are ‘after sunset’ and ‘before sunrise’, with no article.

Q66. One should take an advantage (A)/ of opportunities to talk with (B)/ native speakers if one wants to improve one’s English. (C)/ No Error (D)
(UPSC CSE Prelims)

Answer & Explanation: A) One should take an advantage
The idiom is ‘take advantage of’, without an article.

Q67. When I was at a school (A)/, I used to (B)/ participate in many debates. (C)/ No Error (D)
(TGT Exam)

Answer & Explanation: A) When I was at a school
The correct phrase is ‘at school’ when referring to the period of one’s education.

Q68. He does not know (A)/ anything about the (B)/ the South East Asia. (C)/ No Error (D)
(Geography Link)

Answer & Explanation: C) the South East Asia.
While continents don’t take an article, directional parts of them often do not either (e.g. South America). Here, ‘the’ is redundant.

Q69. As he was not a honest man, (A)/ nobody was ready (B)/ to trust him with any responsibility. (C)/ No Error (D)
(IBPS PO)

Answer & Explanation: A) As he was not a honest man,
‘Honest’ starts with a vowel sound, so it must be ‘an honest man’.

Q70. He made me the promise (A)/ that he would attend my (B)/ sister’s wedding ceremony. (C)/ No Error (D)
(Bank Clerk)

Answer & Explanation: A) He made me the promise
The correct idiom is ‘He made me a promise’.

Q71. We should drink (A)/ several glasses of the water (B)/ daily if we want to remain healthy. (C)/ No Error (D)
(CDS Exam)

Answer & Explanation: B) several glasses of the water
‘Water’ is being used in a general, uncountable sense here. It should be ‘several glasses of water’.

Q72. In a fit of temper (A)/, he tore up a sweet letter (B)/ his wife had written to him. (C)/ No Error (D)
(SSC CGL)

Answer & Explanation: B) he tore up a sweet letter
The letter is specifically identified (‘his wife had written’), so it must be ‘the sweet letter’.

Q73. The French Revolution is (A)/ considered as a landmark in (B)/ the history of the world. (C)/ No Error (D)
(PGT History Link!)

Answer & Explanation: D) No Error
The sentence is grammatically correct.

Q74. We are going to launch (A) / a three-crore project within (B) / next few months. (C) / No error (D)
(Bank PO Mains)

Answer & Explanation: C) next few months.
The phrase ‘the next few…’ is a standard construction. It should be ‘within the next few months’.

Q75. The poet and a critic (A)/ have been honoured (B)/ in his home district. (C)/ No Error (D)
(SSC CGL)

Answer & Explanation: A) The poet and a critic
The plural verb ‘have’ indicates two people. In that case, both nouns should have an article. It should be ‘The poet and the critic…’.

Q76. His father asked him (A)/ to go to the temple every (B)/ morning to offer the prayers. (C)/ No Error (D)
(CDS)

Answer & Explanation: C) to offer the prayers.
In this context, ‘prayers’ is general. It should be ‘to offer prayers’.

Q77. He never keeps (A)/ a good health because (B)/ his body is not used to the city life. (C)/ No Error (D)
(IBPS PO)

Answer & Explanation: A) He never keeps
The correct idiom is ‘to be in good health’. Or ‘He never enjoys good health’.

Q78. In the end, (A)/ they were able to (B)/ reach at a conclusion. (C)/ No Error (D)
(CAT Exam)

Answer & Explanation: C) reach at a conclusion.
The idiom is ‘to reach a conclusion’. The preposition ‘at’ is superfluous.

Q79. A speaker stood on (A)/ the podium to deliver (B)/ a hour-long speech. (C)/ No Error (D)
(UPSC)

Answer & Explanation: C) a hour-long speech.
‘Hour-long’ starts with a vowel sound, so it must be ‘an hour-long speech’.

Q80. According to the Bible, (A)/ it is the meek and humble (B)/ who shall inherit the earth. (C)/ No Error (D)
(PGT Exam)

Answer & Explanation: D) No Error
The sentence is correct. ‘The meek and humble’ is a standard phrase used to refer to people who possess both qualities.

Q81. The time has come for policy makers to understand the damage a war does.

A) a war do
B) the war does
C) war does
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: C) war does
When talking about ‘war’ as a general concept of conflict, no article is used.

Q82. She set a foot in her ancestral home after twenty years.

A) her a foot
B) foot
C) the foot
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) foot
The correct idiom is ‘to set foot in’, without an article.

Q83. He has the great love for his children.

A) a great love
B) great love
C) any great love
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) great love
‘Love’ is an abstract noun. In the phrase ‘great love’, the article is omitted.

Q84. More you read this book, more you will like it.

A) More you read this book, the more you will like it.
B) The more you read this book, the more you will like it.
C) The more you read this book, more you will like it.
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) The more you read this book, the more you will like it.
The parallel construction requires ‘the’ before both comparatives.

Q85. My uncle is a wealthiest man in the entire district.

A) the wealthiest man
B) wealthiest man
C) a wealthy man
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: A) the wealthiest man
‘Wealthiest’ is superlative and needs ‘the’.

Q86. She went to market to buy some vegetables.

A) a market
B) the market
C) an market
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) the market
‘Market’ here refers to the local, specific market, so ‘the’ is appropriate.

Q87. The police should keep an eye on anti-social elements.

A) the eye
B) eye
C) a eye
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: D) No improvement
The idiom is ‘keep an eye on’, and it is used correctly.

Q88. It is an universal truth that honesty pays in the long run.

A) the universal truth
B) a universal truth
C) universal truth
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) a universal truth
‘Universal’ starts with a consonant ‘y’ sound, so it takes ‘a’.

Q89. He decided to go for a higher studies in London.

A) a higher study
B) the higher studies
C) higher studies
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: C) higher studies
‘Studies’ is a plural noun here, and ‘higher’ acts as an adjective. No article is needed.

Q90. She is M.A. in English Literature.

A) a M.A. in
B) the M.A. in
C) an M.A. in
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: C) an M.A. in
‘M.A.’ starts with a vowel sound (’em’).

Q91. Can you play a sitar?

A) sitar
B) the sitar
C) an sitar
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) the sitar
Musical instruments take ‘the’.

Q92. The coffee of this cafe is not very good.

A) A coffee of this cafe
B) Coffee of this cafe
C) The coffee in this cafe
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: D) No improvement
The sentence is correct. It refers to specific coffee, so ‘The’ is correctly used.

Q93. Never have I listened to such a beautiful music.

A) such beautiful music
B) so beautiful a music
C) such beautiful a music
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: A) such beautiful music
‘Music’ is uncountable and does not take ‘a’.

Q94. You need to work hard to get the success in life.

A) a success
B) successes
C) success
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: C) success
‘Success’ as an abstract concept of achievement does not take an article in this general context.

Q95. The English language is easier than a German.

A) German
B) the German
C) Germans
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: A) German
The language ‘German’ does not take an article.

Q96. The judge found him guilty and sent him to the jail.

A) a jail
B) jail
C) a prison
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) jail
For the primary purpose (imprisonment), ‘jail’ (or prison) takes no article.

Q97. Let’s start the show without a further ado.

A) further ados
B) the further ado
C) further ado
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: C) further ado
The correct idiom is ‘without further ado’, with no article.

Q98. She told me an wonderful story about her childhood.

A) the wonderful story
B) a wonderful story
C) wonderful story
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) a wonderful story
‘Wonderful’ starts with a consonant sound (‘w’), so it must be ‘a’.

Q99. This is a last warning I am giving you.

A) last warning
B) the last warning
C) an last warning
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: B) the last warning
The ordinal ‘last’ requires ‘the’.

Q100. This is one of the best book I have ever read.

A) a best book
B) best books
C) the best books
D) No improvement

Answer & Explanation: C) the best books
‘One of the’ must be followed by a plural noun (‘books’). The superlative ‘best’ requires ‘the’.