Question

He is _______ honour to his profession. (Insert suitable article)

• A. on
• B. an
• C. the
• D. a

Hint:

Always choose between “a” and “an” according to pronunciation, not spelling. Silent “h” words such as hour, honour and honest take “an”.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Concept: Articles are words used before nouns to indicate whether the noun is specific or non-specific. The choice between “a” and “an” depends upon the sound with which the following word begins, not merely on the first letter of the word.

Step 1: Identify the noun before which the article is to be used.
The noun used in the sentence is “honour”. \[ \text{He is \_\_\_\_\_\_ honour to his profession.} \] Therefore, we need to determine the correct article before the word “honour”.

Step 2: Examine the pronunciation of the word “honour”.
Although the word “honour” begins with the letter “h”, the letter “h” is silent in pronunciation. Thus, \[ \text{honour} \rightarrow \text{onour} \] Since the word begins with a vowel sound, it requires the article “an”.

Step 3: Apply the rule for the use of indefinite articles.
The article “an” is used before words beginning with a vowel sound. Examples: \[ \text{an hour, an honest man, an heir, an honour} \] Hence the correct sentence becomes: \[ \text{He is an honour to his profession.} \] Therefore, \[ \boxed{\text{an}} \]