Fill in the blank with the appropriate pair of articles from the options given below.

"He would make ___________ better statesman than ___________ University Professor."

a, a

The correct answer is Option (4) - a, a

1. "a better statesman": The article "a" is used before singular, countable nouns when referring to a non-specific or general idea. Here, "better statesman" is a general comparison.

2. "a University Professor": The article "a" is used because "University" starts with a consonant sound ("yoo" sound), not a vowel sound.

"He would make a better statesman than a University Professor."

Options:

1. a, an:

   • Incorrect: "An University Professor" is incorrect because "University" starts with a consonant sound.

2. the, an:

   • Incorrect: "The better statesman" implies specificity, which is not the intent here.

3. a, the:

   • Incorrect: "The University Professor" implies a specific professor, which does not fit the general comparison.

4. a, a:

   • Correct: Both articles appropriately fit the context and grammar of the sentence.