Step 1: Read the sentence
The sentence is: “I had met him ______ year ago.” The blank must be filled with the correct article or none, depending on grammar rules.
Step 2: Apply article usage rules
- "a" is used before singular countable nouns that begin with a consonant sound.
- "an" is used before singular countable nouns that begin with a vowel sound.
- "the" is used when referring to something specific or already known.
- "none" means no article is required.
Step 3: Focus on the noun “year”
Although the word "year" begins with the vowel letter "y," it actually starts with the consonant sound /y/ (like “yes” or “yellow”). Because article choice depends on sound, not spelling, we must use "a" instead of "an."
Step 4: Correct sentence
“I had met him a year ago.” This is the standard and grammatically correct usage.
Final Answer: The correct option is (A) a.