A/An vs The | (Specific vs General, First vs Second Mention) | Beginner Level | 10 Questions & Answers with Explanations

There is only one Prime Minister of India at any given time, a unique position, so the is correct.

Correct sentence: "He is the Prime Minister of India."

Memory hook: unique positions or titles (the Prime Minister, the CEO, the President) take the, since there's only one at a time.

This is a general statement about mangoes as a class, not any specific mango, so a is correct, describing the category as a whole through a single representative example.

Correct sentence: "A mango is a sweet fruit."

Memory hook: "A [singular noun] is..." is a common pattern for making general statements about an entire category, not one particular item.

This is the first mention of the phone, so a is correct, introducing it as something new to the listener.

Correct sentence: "Rahul bought a phone last week."

Memory hook: any object introduced for the first time in a story or sentence takes a/an.

This use of "a minute" means "one minute," a common idiomatic use of a to mean "one," so a is correct.

Correct sentence: "Please give me a minute; I'll be right there."

Memory hook: a/an can mean "one" in casual expressions — "a minute," "a moment," "a second" — treat this as a fixed, common usage.

This use of "a kilo" means "per kilo," another common idiomatic use of a, so a is correct.

Correct sentence: "This fruit costs eighty rupees a kilo."

Memory hook: a/an meaning "per" is a fixed pattern in pricing and rate expressions — "a kilo," "a day," "a year."

The first mention of the dog introduces it as new information, taking a, while the second mention refers back to that same, now-known dog, taking the — this double-blank tests the first-mention/second-mention pattern within a single sentence.

Correct sentence: "She saw a dog near the park; the dog looked lost and hungry."

Memory hook: whenever a sentence mentions the same noun twice, expect the pattern a (first time) → the (every time after) — this is one of the most reliable article patterns in English.

There is only one sun, a unique thing in our world, so the is correct.

Correct sentence: "The sun rises in the east every morning."

Memory hook: unique, one-of-a-kind things — the sun, the moon, the sky, the earth — always take the.

This is the first mention of the cow — the listener doesn't yet know which specific cow is meant, so a is correct.

Correct sentence: "I saw a cow on the road this morning."

Memory hook: first mention of any countable singular noun always starts with a/an, never the.

This is the second mention of the same cow already introduced in the previous sentence — since both speaker and listener now know exactly which cow is meant, the is correct.

Correct sentence: "The cow was blocking traffic for almost an hour."

Memory hook: once something has been mentioned once, it becomes "known" — switch from a/an to the on the next mention.

This is the second mention of the same phone already introduced, so the is correct, since it's now a known, specific item.

Correct sentence: "The phone was quite expensive, but he doesn't regret it."

Memory hook: this is the classic two-sentence pattern examiners love — first sentence a, second sentence the, referring to the exact same object.