SSC Selection Post 2025 PYQ — Question 71

Correct Answer

a MLA (2)

Explanation

The question asks you to find the segment of the sentence that contains an error. The mistake here is an article usage error in part 2.

In English grammar, the choice between the indefinite articles "a" and "an" is determined entirely by the initial sound of the following word, not its written starting letter.

Use "a" before words starting with a consonant sound.

Use "an" before words starting with a vowel sound.

When you pronounce the abbreviation MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly), you say the letter "M" out loud. Phonetically, "M" is pronounced as "em" (\text{em} ).

Because the spoken word begins with an "e" sound, it is a vowel sound. Therefore, it requires the indefinite article "an" instead of "a".

Let's look at the correct phrasing:

Incorrect: He spoke to a MLA...

Correct: He spoke to an MLA...

Let's quickly verify that the remaining parts are accurate:

Part 1 ("He spoke to") is a standard past tense verbal phrase.

Part 3 ("regarding the issue") correctly uses a prepositional phrase to introduce the subject matter.

Part 4 ("on infrastructure") correctly uses the preposition "on" to define the topic of the issue.

Because part 2 uses the wrong article, Option 2 is the correct answer.

Key Points

To secure perfect marks on article questions during competitive exams, look out for abbreviation traps. Always read the abbreviation aloud to check its first sound:

Use "an" for letters that start with a vowel sound: an MLA ("em-el-a"), an MP ("em-pee"), an NRI ("en-ar-eye"), an FIR ("ef-eye-ar"), or an SOS ("es-oh-es").

Use "a" for letters that start with a consonant sound: a DGP ("dee-jee-pee") or a BDO ("bee-dee-oh").