Question

Use an appropriate article:
Jill plays _____ violin in an orchestra.

A)A
B)An
C)The
D)No article

Answer 1

Hint: Violin is a noun. It is a specific kind of an instrument. Nouns are preceded by an article usually.

Complete step-by-step answer:

We know from the hint given to us that the violin is a noun and hence requires it to be preceded by an article. Thus, option D is wrong.
Articles are of two types – definite and indefinite. Definite articles like ‘the’ are used for nouns that are specific. Indefinite articles like ‘a’ / ‘an’ are used for nouns that are not specific.
From the hint, we know that the violin is a specific kind of an instrument and hence, specific in nature of the context given to us in the question. Hence, it’ll be using a definite article, that is, ‘the’. Thus, options A and B are wrong.
Hence, we conclude that option A is the correct answer.

Note: Articles are not used before proper nouns. Violin acts as a noun that is specific in the given context of the sentence. However, if there were multiple other violins, I’d have used a. indefinite article due to its nonspecific nature.