Question

Fill in the blanks with the most suitable articles:
________ water is _______ elixir of life but _______ water of this pond is poisonous.
A) The, the, the
B) The, an, the
C) No article, the, the
D) No article, an, the

Answer 1

Hint: Articles are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. ‘A, an, the’ is known as articles.

Complete step by step answer:
Option A) The, the, the – is an incorrect answer because water is an uncountable noun, so, no article should be used before uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns are those nouns that can be counted in numbers (for example: water, wind, feelings) and they are not preceded by a, an. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.
Option B) The, an, the - is an incorrect answer because water is an uncountable noun, so, no article should be used before uncountable nouns. Uncountable nouns are those nouns that can be counted in numbers (for example: table, chair) and they are not preceded by a, an. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.
Option C) No article, the, the – is the correct answer because elixir is a definite article and ‘the’ is used before definite article. Definite article is the word ‘THE’. It is used before a noun which is definite it or something specific. Thus, this is the correct answer.
Option D) No article, an, the – is an incorrect answer because first blank is correct i.e. no article (water is uncountable noun and they are not preceded by a / an). Thus, again elixir is a definite article, instead of ‘an’ ‘the’ should be used. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.

So, the correct answer is “Option C”

Note:
Use of article is omitted before names of substances and uncountable nouns. 'Water' is an uncountable noun. Hence, no article is used before this word. Of the options given, A and B are incorrect as they mention the use of the article, 'the' before water. The noun, 'elixir' means 'a magical or medicinal potion' and it is a definite article, 'the' is used before names of things which are unique/ one of their kind. When we say, 'Water is the elixir of life', the article, 'the' emphasises that 'water is the only elixir of life'. Hence, the article 'the' must precede 'elixir'. Option D is incorrect as it suggests the use of the indefinite article, 'an' before 'elixir. The definite article 'the' is also used when we talk about a particular person or thing. 'Water of this pond' refers to a particular noun. Hence, the article, 'the' should be used before the phrase, 'water of this pond'.