English question from Naib Tehsildar exam, 2018 by JKSSB
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate articles:
Mr. Sharma became ____________ Chancellor of a university in 1965.
Last updated Jun 24, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option C —
the
The sentence should read: "Mr. Sharma became the Chancellor of a university in 1965."
Why "The" is the Correct Article
In English grammar, we use the definite article (the) when referring to a specific title or a unique post held by one person at a time within an organization.
Uniqueness of the Role: A university typically has only one Chancellor at any given time. Because the position is a specific, unique title, "the" is required.
The "Of" Construction: When a noun is followed by a phrase starting with "of" (e.g., Chancellor of a university), it usually makes the first noun specific, which triggers the use of "the."
Why the others don't fit:
A / An: Using "a" would imply that there are many Chancellors at the same university and Mr. Sharma was just one of them. This doesn't fit how high-ranking titles usually work.
No Article: While some titles (like President or Queen) can sometimes drop the article when used directly before a name (e.g., "Chancellor Sharma"), when the title is used as a noun following a verb like became, the article is generally necessary.
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
