Choose the most appropriate article from the given options to fill in the blank :
Shyam's hostelmate has become _________ IAS officer.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → An
Complete sentence: Shyam's hostelmate has become an IAS officer. IAS is read letter by letter, "eye-ay-ess", so it begins with a vowel sound: "an IAS officer". One of many such officers is meant, so the indefinite article fits.
| Option | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) A | a before a consonant sound (a book, a uniform). "A" goes before a consonant sound. "IAS" begins with the vowel sound of "I". | – |
| (2) The | "The" points to one particular officer already known. The hostelmate has become one of the many IAS officers. | – |
| (3) An (answer) | The choice depends on the first sound of the next word, not its first letter: an before a vowel sound (an apple, an hour). | His uncle is an MLA from Pune. |
| (4) Zero article | "Officer" is a singular countable noun, which cannot stand without an article here. | – |