Read the given statement and select the correct answer from the options :
The merchant sold ______ horse, ______ ox and ______ buffalo in ______ fair :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The merchant sold a horse, an ox and a buffalo in the fair
Use of articles:
- A / an (indefinite) introduce a singular countable noun mentioned for the first time:
- a before a consonant sound: a horse, a buffalo;
- an before a vowel sound: an ox.
- The (definite) points to a particular thing that speaker and listener both have in mind.
- This sentence: the three animals are new to the listener, so each takes the indefinite article (a horse, an ox, a buffalo); the fair is a particular one, the fair held at that place, so it is the fair.
Example: I bought an umbrella and a bag at the market.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The merchant sold a horse, an ox and the buffalo in a fair — Incorrect. "The buffalo" points to a buffalo already known, but it is mentioned here for the first time, like the horse and the ox.
Option 2: The merchant sold the horse, the ox and the buffalo in the fair — Incorrect. "The" before every animal treats all three as already known; nothing in the sentence has introduced them.
Option 3: The merchant sold the horse, an ox and a buffalo in the fair — Incorrect. "The horse" breaks the pattern: the horse is as new to the listener as the ox and the buffalo.