Identify the kind of the underlined noun in the sentence given below:
Mummy keeps the homemade laddoos in two big steel tins.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Common noun
Material noun used as a common noun:
- A material noun names a substance, like tin, iron or glass. When the same word names a thing that we can count, it becomes a common noun.
- Here “tins” means boxes for keeping food. We can count them (two tins). The word “steel” shows they are not even made of tin.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Material noun — Incorrect. A material noun names a substance that things are made of. Here “tins” are boxes, not the metal tin. Example: The roof of the old cowshed is made of tin.
Option 2: Abstract noun — Incorrect. An abstract noun names a quality, feeling or idea that we cannot touch. Tins can be seen and touched. Example: The children shouted with joy when the laddoos came.
Option 4: Collective noun — Incorrect. A collective noun names a group taken as one (team, class, crowd). “Tins” is not the name of a group. Example: A crowd gathered outside the sweet shop.