Question

Singular count nouns that haven't been specified or are unknown to the audience take the indefinite article. Mark the sentences that follow this rule. Only mark the correct sentences:

1) I bought a car last night. The car I bought is really nice.
2) She found a quarter in the street. The quarter was covered in mud.
3) They had a dog, a dog ran away.
4) We lost a book in the elevator. A book was green.
5) I need to buy a pen. A pen I need cost too much money.

A) Sentences 1, 2, and 5 follow the rule.
B) Sentences 2 and 4 follow the rule.
C) Sentences 1, 3, and 5 follow the rule.
D) Sentences 2, 3, and 4 follow the rule.

Answer 1

Option A is correct. Sentences 1 and 2 follow the rule correctly by using the indefinite article 'a' for unspecified singular count nouns, and then 'the' once the noun has been specified.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentences that follow the rule stating that singular count nouns that have not been specified or are unknown require an indefinite article are:

1. I bought a car last night.
2. She found a quarter in the street.
3. The quarter was covered in mud.

The sentence "I bought a car last night" correctly introduces 'a car' as a nonspecific singular count noun. The next sentence "The car I bought is really nice" correctly uses the definite article 'the' because the car has already been specified. Similarly, "She found a quarter in the street" introduces a new, specified quarter with the indefinite article 'a', and subsequently refers back to it as "The quarter...". Sentences 3, 4, and 5 are incorrect because they incorrectly use the indefinite article 'a' in the second sentence when referring back to a noun that has already been introduced and specified.

The correct answer to the student's question is option A): Sentences 1, 2, and 5 follow the rule.