Choose the correct option to complete the sentence. Choose “No article” if none is needed:
Our science teacher showed us photos of ______ Mars taken by a spacecraft.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → No article
Complete sentence: Our science teacher showed us photos of Mars taken by a spacecraft. “Mars” is the name of one planet, so nothing goes before it.
| Option | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) a | before a singular noun that can be counted, meaning any one of many; a planet’s name stands for one planet only | Our teacher drew a planet with rings on the board. |
| (2) the | one particular thing named by a common word such as “planet”; the name of the planet itself does not take it | Mars is often called the Red Planet. |
| (3) No article (answer) | before the names of planets such as Mars, Venus and Jupiter | Jupiter is bigger than all the other planets. |
| (4) an | before a vowel sound; “Mars” begins with a consonant sound | Saturn is an amazing sight through a telescope. |