Hema Das was _____ only Indian athlete to win _______ gold for India. A. the, many B. the, a C. an, a D. an, the

GATE 2019 · General Aptitude · Prepositions · medium

Answer: B. the, a

1. Apply the 'the only' rule to blank 1: 'The only' is a fixed collocation in English. Using 'an only' is ungrammatical here. So blank 1 must be 'the'. This eliminates options C and D.
2. Choose 'a' or 'the' for blank 2: 'Win a gold for India' uses the indefinite article because 'gold' (short for gold medal) is introduced for the first time without any prior specific reference. 'The gold' would require prior mention of a specific gold medal.
3. Confirm option B: 'Hema Das was the only Indian athlete to win a gold for India.' This reads fluently and is grammatically correct.