Quick Review Flashcards - Click to flip and test your knowledge!
Question
What is the grammatical classification of articles because they affect the meaning of a noun?
Answer
Determiners.
Question
Identify the two types of articles in the English language.
Answer
Definite and Indefinite articles.
Question
Which article is used when referring to a general person or thing rather than a particular one?
Answer
The Indefinite Article ($a$, $an$).
Question
Which article is used when referring to a particular, specific person or thing?
Answer
The Definite Article ($the$).
Question
Before which type of sound is the indefinite article '$a$' used?
Answer
Consonant sounds.
Question
Before which type of sound is the indefinite article '$an$' used?
Answer
Vowel sounds.
Question
Why is '$an$' used before the word 'hour' despite it starting with a consonant letter?
Answer
The first letter '$h$' is silent and the first sound is a vowel.
Question
Which article is used before the word 'university'?
Answer
$a$ (because it begins with a '$yu$' consonant sound).
Question
Which article is used before the word 'European'?
Answer
$a$ (because it begins with a '$yu$' consonant sound).
Question
Which article is used before 'one-eyed man'?
Answer
$a$ (because it begins with a '$wa$' consonant sound).
Question
What article is used before the abbreviation 'MLA'?
Answer
$an$ (because the initial sound is a vowel).
Question
When is 'one' used instead of the article '$a$'?
Answer
When emphasizing the fact that there is only one of something.
Question
What meaning does the article '$a$' convey in the phrase 'once a month'?
Answer
Each.
Question
Which article is typically used when referring to the name of an occupation (e.g., doctor)?
Answer
The Indefinite Article ($a$/$an$).
Question
In exclamations before singular countable nouns, which article is used?
Answer
The Indefinite Article ($a$/$an$).
Question
What article is used for expressions of speed, price, or ratio (e.g., $40\text{ km}$ _____ hour)?
Answer
$an$ (or the appropriate indefinite article).
Question
Which article is used with numerical expressions like 'dozen' or 'thousand'?
Answer
The Indefinite Article ($a$).
Question
How is an unknown person with a title referred to using articles (e.g., Mr Gupta)?
Answer
By using '$a$' before the title (e.g., A Mr Gupta).
Question
Under what condition is an indefinite article used with an uncountable noun?
Answer
When implying a comparison between that noun and others of the same kind.
Question
When is the indefinite article required before the name of a meal?
Answer
When the name is used in the sense of a party.
Question
What is the usual plural equivalent of the indefinite article '$a$/$an$'?
Answer
'some' or 'any'.
Question
Concept: 'Little'
Answer
Definition: A negative meaning signifying 'hardly any'.
Question
Concept: 'A little'
Answer
Definition: A small amount.
Question
Concept: 'The little'
Answer
Definition: A small amount but the whole of it.
Question
When is the definite article '$the$' used in relation to the reader or listener?
Answer
When the noun is already known to them.
Question
Which article is used for things of which only one exists (e.g., the sun)?
Answer
The Definite Article ($the$).
Question
Which article precedes adjectives or participles representing a class of people (e.g., the poor)?
Answer
The Definite Article ($the$).
Question
Which article is required before the names of oceans, seas, and rivers?
Answer
The Definite Article ($the$).
Question
When is the definite article required for country names?
Answer
When the name consists of an adjective plus a noun.
Question
Name the three one-word country names that take the definite article.
Answer
The Lebanon, the Congo, and the Netherlands.
Question
Which article is used before ordinal numbers to make nouns definite?
Answer
The Definite Article ($the$).
Question
When is '$the$' omitted before the word 'most'?
Answer
When it is used in the sense of 'very' or 'the majority'.
Question
When are 'next' and 'last' used without the definite article?
Answer
When they refer to the period immediately before or after the present.
Question
Which article is used when a singular countable noun represents a whole class of things?
Answer
The Definite Article ($the$).
Question
Before which type of proper names are articles used to refer to nations or families?
Answer
Plural proper names (e.g., the Italians).
Question
In the construction 'The more it rains, _____ the roads will be', what precedes the adjective?
Answer
The definite article ($the$).
Question
Name three time expressions that do NOT take the definite article.
Answer
last week, midnight, and noon.
Question
Are plural nouns used for a whole class (e.g., Snakes) preceded by an article?
Answer
No, the article is omitted.
Question
When is the definite article omitted before uncountable nouns?
Answer
When they are used with a general meaning.
Question
Under what condition is the definite article omitted before the names of languages?
Answer
When they are used as nouns (e.g., He learnt Russian).
Question
How is 'man' treated regarding articles when it refers to 'mankind'?
Answer
The definite article is omitted.
Question
When is the article omitted for means of travel (e.g., rail, bus)?
Answer
When travel is referred to generally using 'by'.
Question
What is the difference in meaning between 'He has gone to church' and 'He has gone to the church'?
Answer
'To church' implies worship; 'to the church' implies another purpose, such as a job.
Question
If two adjectives qualify the same noun, where is the article placed?
Answer
Before the first adjective only.
Question
If two adjectives qualify different nouns, where is the article placed?
Answer
Before each adjective.
Question
Meaning of 'The painter and sculptor had come' (one article).
Answer
Only one person, who is both a painter and a sculptor, has arrived.
Question
Meaning of 'The painter and the sculptor had come' (two articles).
Answer
Two different persons, one a painter and the other a sculptor, have arrived.
Question
What does it mean to 'narrate' in a composition?
Answer
To 'relate' a story or an account of a sequence of actions.
Question
List the five 'Ingredients of a Narrative Composition'.
Answer
An interesting incident, characters, background, dialogue/language, and mood/aim.
Question
In what order should events generally be presented in a narrative?
Answer
Chronological order.
Question
What is meant by 'beginning with a bang' in narrative writing?
Answer
Plunging straight into action or using an arresting/unusual detail.
Question
What is the primary aim of questions in a comprehension exercise?
Answer
To test the reader's power of observation and ability to think about the passage.
Question
In comprehension, what do vocabulary-related questions test?
Answer
The understanding of the writer's specific use of words.
Question
Phrase: 'Second to none'
Answer
Definition: Nobody is better than the person being described.
Question
Phrase: 'Reading between the lines'
Answer
Definition: Inferring a meaning that is not said explicitly.
Question
Phrase: 'Cuts it fine'
Answer
Definition: Arriving only just in time.
Question
Which article is used before 'unique book'?
Answer
$a$ (due to the 'yu' sound).
Question
Which article is used before 'SDO'?
Answer
$an$ (due to the vowel sound 'ess').
Question
Which article is used before 'honest man'?
Answer
$an$ (due to the silent '$h$').
Question
Which article is used before 'heir'?
Answer
$an$ (due to the silent '$h$').