Choose the most appropriate article to fill in the blank:
The doctor asked Papa to get ______ MRI scan of his injured knee.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → an
Complete sentence: The doctor asked Papa to get an MRI scan of his injured knee. “MRI” is read letter by letter: M-R-I. The letter M is said “em”, so the short form begins with a vowel sound.
| Option | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) an (answer) | one thing, before a vowel sound | The nurse filled in an X-ray form for Dadi. |
| (2) a | one thing, before a consonant sound | The nurse took a blood sample from his arm. |
| (3) the | a particular thing already known; here the scan is mentioned for the first time | The report of the scan came the next day. |
| (4) No article | plural or uncountable nouns used in a general sense; “scan” is a singular noun that can be counted, so it needs an article | Doctors work long hours in this hospital. |