Basics of articles. 45 questions on a, an, the, and zero article in everyday contexts.
What this test covers
- A and An
- The
- Zero Article
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1She is ___ engineer who works for a large tech company.
Answer: A. an
Use 'an' because 'engineer' starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u). For example: an apple, an engineer.
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Q2He bought ___ new laptop for his studies.
Answer: A. a
Use 'a' because 'new' starts with a consonant sound. We use 'a' for one non-specific item.
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Q3It took ___ hour to finish the exam.
Answer: A. an
Use 'an' because the 'h' in 'hour' is silent. It sounds like it starts with a vowel ('our').
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Q4She wants to become ___ university professor one day.
Answer: C. a
Use 'a' because 'university' starts with a 'y' sound (like 'you'), which is a consonant sound. Don't use 'an' just because the first letter is 'u'.
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Q5She is ___ unusual person who loves to travel.
Answer: A. an
Use 'an' because 'unusual' starts with a vowel sound like 'up'.
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Q6She ate ___ apple and ___ banana for breakfast.
Answer: D. an / a
Use 'an' before 'apple' because it starts with a vowel sound. Use 'a' before 'banana' because it starts with a consonant sound.
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Q7There was ___ accident on the motorway this morning.
Answer: C. an
Use 'an' because 'accident' starts with a vowel sound (a).
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Q8It was ___ European conference attended by thousands of delegates.
Answer: D. a
Use 'a' because 'European' starts with a 'y' sound (like 'you'). The sound is a consonant sound, even though the letter is 'E'.
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Q9She is ___ MBA student at the city's business school.
Answer: D. an
Use 'an' because the letter 'M' is pronounced 'em'. It starts with a vowel sound.
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Q10He described it as ___ once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Answer: D. a
Use 'a' because 'once' starts with a 'w' sound (like 'won'), which is a consonant sound.
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Q11Could you please close ___ door on your way out?
Answer: B. the
Use 'the' because we are talking about a specific door that both people know.
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Q12___ sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Answer: B. The
Use 'The' for things that are unique, meaning there is only one of them in our world.
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Q13She put the book back on ___ shelf where she found it.
Answer: D. the
Use 'the' because we are talking about a specific shelf — the one where the book was originally.
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Q14He is ___ president of the company — everyone knows him.
Answer: A. the
Use 'the' for a unique job or position, like 'the president' or 'the captain'.
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Q15We went to ___ cinema last night and watched a great film.
Answer: C. the
We often use 'the' with places we visit in a city, like 'the cinema', 'the park', or 'the station'.
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Q16___ Nile is the longest river in Africa.
Answer: C. The
Use 'The' with the names of rivers, like the Nile, the Amazon, or the Thames.
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Q17She is ___ tallest student in the whole school.
Answer: A. the
Use 'the' before words like 'tallest', 'best', or 'biggest' because there is only one person who fits that description.
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Q18He was ___ first person to arrive at the meeting.
Answer: B. the
Use 'the' with words that show order, like 'the first', 'the second', or 'the last'.
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Q19She plays ___ piano every evening after dinner.
Answer: B. the
We use 'the' when we talk about playing a musical instrument, like 'play the piano' or 'play the flute'.
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Q20I think ___ answer you gave was incorrect.
Answer: D. the
Use 'the' because we are talking about a specific answer — the one that 'you gave'.
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Q21___ water is essential for human survival.
Answer: C. (no article)
Use no article for things we cannot count (like water) when we talk about them in a general way.
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Q22She loves ___ music and plays in a local band.
Answer: C. (no article)
Use no article for general ideas like 'music', 'art', or 'love' when we talk about them generally.
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Q23___ dogs are known to be loyal and friendly animals.
Answer: D. (no article)
Use no article for plural words (like 'dogs') when we talk about them in general.
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Q24He studies ___ medicine at a well-known university.
Answer: C. (no article)
Use no article for school subjects or fields of study like 'medicine', 'history', or 'maths'.
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Q25They enjoy playing ___ football on weekends.
Answer: A. (no article)
We do not use an article for sports. For example: play football, play tennis.
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Q26She travels to ___ work by bus every morning.
Answer: D. (no article)
We say 'go to work' or 'at work' without an article. It is a common fixed phrase.
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Q27___ life is full of surprises.
Answer: A. (no article)
Use no article for 'life' when talking about it in a general, philosophical way.
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Q28He goes to ___ school five days a week.
Answer: B. (no article)
We say 'go to school' without 'the' when we talk about a student going there to learn.
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Q29___ breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day.
Answer: A. (no article)
Use no article for meals like 'breakfast', 'lunch', or 'dinner' in a general sense.
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Q30She reads ___ books every evening before going to sleep.
Answer: D. (no article)
Use no article for plural things (like 'books') when talking about them generally.
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Q31She bought ___ car last week. ___ car is bright red.
Answer: D. a / The
Use 'a' when you talk about the car for the first time. Use 'the' when you talk about the same car again.
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Q32He is ___ doctor. He works at ___ local hospital.
Answer: D. a / the
Use 'a' for a person's job (a doctor). Use 'the' for 'local hospital' because it refers to the specific hospital serving the area. 'An' is incorrect before 'local' because 'local' begins with a consonant sound.
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Q33Is there ___ supermarket near here?
Answer: C. a
Use 'a' when you are looking for any supermarket, not one specific one.
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Q34I saw ___ interesting film last night. ___ film was set in Tokyo.
Answer: D. an / The
Use 'an' for the first mention because 'interesting' starts with a vowel. Use 'the' for the second mention because we now know which film you mean.
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Q35She is studying to become ___ nurse.
Answer: A. a
Use 'a' for a job or profession. 'Nurse' starts with a consonant sound.
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Q36He is ___ only child in his family.
Answer: A. the
Use 'the' with 'only' because it points to one specific, unique person.
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Q37They live on ___ fourth floor.
Answer: A. the
Use 'the' with numbers like 'first', 'second', 'third', or 'fourth'.
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Q38___ happiness is what everyone is looking for.
Answer: A. (no article)
Use no article for general feelings and ideas like 'happiness' or 'freedom'.
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Q39She has ___ great sense of humour.
Answer: B. a
Use 'a' before 'great' because it starts with a consonant sound. It is part of the common phrase 'a sense of humour'.
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Q40He left without saying ___ word.
Answer: C. a
Use 'a' in the common expression 'without saying a word'.
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Q41___ moon was shining brightly when they left the party.
Answer: A. The
Use 'The' because there is only one moon for our planet.
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Q42He is ___ optimist who always sees the best in people.
Answer: C. an
Use 'an' because 'optimist' starts with a vowel sound (o).
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Q43Would you like ___ cup of tea?
Answer: B. a
Use 'a' for one non-specific item. 'Cup' starts with a consonant sound.
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Q44He made ___ mistake in the final paragraph.
Answer: D. a
Use 'a' because it is one single mistake, and we are not talking about a specific one we already know.
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Q45She gave ___ excellent presentation at the conference.
Answer: B. an
Use 'an' because 'excellent' starts with a vowel sound (e).
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