Question

I think it would be nice to buy him MP3 player as New year's gift.

• A. an / the
• B. the / a
• C. a / a
• D. an / a

Hint:

Think about the sound at the start of the next word, not its spelling.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The sentence has two blanks, each needing an article: "a", "an", or "the". We must pick the article that matches the sound of the next word and the specificity of the noun.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Rule 1: "an" comes before a vowel sound, "a" comes before a consonant sound, no matter how the word is spelled.
Rule 2: "the" is used for a specific, already identified noun; "a"/"an" is used for a noun mentioned for the first time or spoken of in general.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
First blank: the word after it is "MP3 player". Said aloud, "MP3" starts with "em", a vowel sound, even though the letter M is a consonant. So the first blank needs "an".
Second blank: the phrase is "New Year's gift". This gift has not been named or pointed out earlier in the sentence, so it stays a general, first-mention noun. The second blank needs "a", not "the".
Checking the four choices against these two rules, only "an" for blank one and "a" for blank two survive together.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct pair of articles is "an" and "a", so option (d) is correct.