Fill in the blank with the appropriate pair of articles from the options given below.
"He would make ___________ better statesman than ___________ University Professor."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → a, a
Articles when comparing two roles of one person:
- When two qualities or roles of the same person are compared, the article is used before both nouns: a better statesman than a professor.
- The choice between a and an depends on the sound, not the letter:
- Statesman begins with a consonant sound: a.
- University begins with the sound "yoo", a consonant sound: a, not an.
- Complete sentence: He would make a better statesman than a University Professor.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: a , an — Incorrect. "an University" is wrong: "University" begins with a "yoo" (consonant) sound, so it takes a.
Option 2: the , an — Incorrect.
- "the better statesman" would point to a particular statesman. The sentence speaks of what kind of statesman he would be.
- "an University" is wrong for the reason above.
Option 3: a , the — Incorrect. "the University Professor" suggests one particular professor, a different person. The comparison is between two roles of the same man.