Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blanks.

This story is about _ little boy and ____ squirrel.

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

AAI ATC Junior Executive 21 Feb 2023 Shift 1 Official Paper

Answer 1

The correct answer is 'Option 2' (a, a).

Key Points

In this sentence, 'a' should be used before 'little boy' and 'squirrel' as we're likely referencing a non-specific boy and squirrel that the audience is not yet familiar with.
The indefinite article 'a' is used before singular, countable and non-specific nouns, which fits the context here.
Therefore the phrase should read "This story is about a little boy and a squirrel".

Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.

Additional Information

'Option 1' (the, the) would suggest that we're referencing a specific, known boy and squirrel, which doesn't fit the likely context of the introduction of a story.
'Option 3' (a, the) and 'Option 4' (the, a) inaccurately imply only one of the characters (either boy or squirrel) is known to the audience, which seems inconsistent and unclear without further text.