SarkariPYQ

SSC Stenographer 2024 PYQ — Question 98

SSC Stenographer - 10/12/2024 (4:30 PM to 6:30 PM) • English • Q98

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In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.
The two children lost their way in the woods. They had heard tales about a witch residing in a remote corner of _____[A] woods. The witch was notorious for eating children. They became afraid as the sky _______[B] dark. They were getting hungry and tired as well. Soon after, they came across _____[C] old cottage. The chimney of the house was emitting smoke. It started to rain heavily, and they rushed inside the cottage without giving it a second thought. To _______[D] surprise, they found a ______[E1], __________[E2], _______________[E3] woman inside the house. She offered them chocolates to eat.

Fill in the blank marked [C] using the most appropriate option.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The correct answer is option 1 i.e. “an.”

“Soon after, they came across ____ old cottage.”

When referring to a singular countable noun that's mentioned for the first time, English uses an indefinite article ('a' or 'an') to introduce it.

The word “old” begins with a vowel sound, so the correct choice is “an old cottage”, not “a old cottage” or no article.

Using 'an' here signals that the cottage is one unspecified cottage they encountered, making the phrase grammatically correct and fluent.