Select the most appropriate indefinite article to fill in the blank. Chitra…
2025
Select the most appropriate indefinite article to fill in the blank.
Chitra Devi is an expert in using AI tools and ________ uniquely gifted engineer.
- A.
the
- B.
an
- C.
No article required
- D.
a
Attempted by 6 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
The indefinite articles "a" and "an" are chosen by the SOUND of the word that immediately follows, not by its spelling: "an" precedes a word whose first sound is a vowel sound, while "a" precedes a word whose first sound is a consonant sound. A word that is spelled with an initial vowel letter but pronounced with an initial consonant sound (for example "university", "European", "one-eyed", "uniform") still takes "a". The definite article "the" is used only when the noun refers to something specific or already identified, and no article is used before a plural or a general uncountable noun.
Applying this to the blank: the word right after it is "uniquely". It is spelled with the vowel letter "u", but it is pronounced /juːˈniːkli/, starting with the consonant glide sound /j/ (the "y" sound) -- exactly like "university" or "unicorn". Since the sound immediately after the blank is a consonant sound, the blank must be filled with "a", giving "a uniquely gifted engineer".
Cross-check with the rest of the sentence: the earlier article, "an expert", is correct because "expert" begins with the vowel sound /e/. The same sound-based rule that explains "an expert" also explains why the second blank needs "a" rather than "an", so both articles in the sentence follow one consistent rule.
Why the other options do not fit:
"the" is a definite article; it points to a specific, already-identified noun. Here the sentence is making a general statement about Chitra Devi's quality, not referring back to a previously mentioned engineer, so a definite article does not fit.
"an" needs the following word's first SOUND to be a vowel sound, but "uniquely" begins with the consonant sound /j/, so "an" does not fit.
No article is used before a plural countable noun or a general uncountable noun, but "uniquely gifted engineer" is a singular countable noun phrase, so it needs an article and cannot be left without one.
Therefore, the correct completion is "a uniquely gifted engineer".