Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blanks.

When she was hungry, she ate _ orange and drank glass of water.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

AAI ATC Junior Executive 21 Feb 2023 Shift 2 Official Paper

Answer 1

The correct answer is 'Option 1' i.e. 'an, a'.

Key Points

The indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' are used before singular, countable nouns when the noun is not specific.
'An' is used before words beginning with a vowel sound, which is the case with 'orange'. So we use 'an' before 'orange'.
'A' is used before words beginning with a consonant sound. Hence, we use 'a' before 'glass'.
The context of the sentences doesn't suggest these items were previously mentioned or are specific, so the use of the indefinite articles is apt.

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 1' i.e. 'an, a'.

Additional Information

'a, a' (Option 2) is incorrect because 'a' is used before words that start with a consonant sound, not a vowel sound like 'orange'.
'the, the' (Option 3) would not be grammatically incorrect, but they would suggest that the orange and the glass of water are specific or already known to the people in conversation, which doesn't seem to be the case here.
'a, the' (Option 4) would suggest the mention of an orange in a non-specific sense but suggest specificity for the glass of water. This does not align with the given context.