1st Grade ELA Quiz: Use Determiners

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Use Determiners, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 1st Grade ELA.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. a (correct answer)
2. red
3. apple

Explanation: The word a tells us there is just one apple, so answer A is correct. The word red describes the color of the apple, not how many there are, so answer B does not answer the question. The word apple names the fruit itself, but it does not tell us the amount, so answer C is not correct either.

Question 2

1. Those (correct answer)
2. These
3. That
4. This

Explanation: This question tests 1st grade determiner usage (CCSS.L.1.1.h: Use determiners including articles and demonstratives). Determiners are small words that come before nouns. Articles are a, an, and the. We use 'a' before words that start with consonant sounds (a cat, a ball, a dog), 'an' before words that start with vowel sounds (an apple, an egg, an orange), and 'the' when talking about a specific thing (the cat we saw yesterday). Demonstratives are pointing words: 'this' (one thing, close), 'that' (one thing, far away), 'these' (more than one, close), 'those' (more than one, far away). The sentence uses 'those' before 'shoes.' This pointing word tells us the 'shoes' are far and there is more than one. Choice C is correct because we use 'those' for more than one thing that is far away, matching 'are there.' Choice B represents the wrong demonstrative error. Students make this error because they confuse singular demonstratives (this/that) with plural (these/those) or near/far. To help students: For a vs an, practice listening: SAY the phrase out loud - 'a apple' sounds wrong, 'an apple' sounds right. Create sound-based lists: 'a' before b, c, d sounds and 'an' before a, e, i, o, u sounds. For the vs a/an, act out: 'I want A book' (grab any book), 'I want THE book' (point to specific book). For demonstratives, use physical distance: hold object 'THIS ball,' point across room 'THAT ball,' hold multiple objects 'THESE balls,' point to multiple across room 'THOSE balls.'

Question 3

1. wants
2. book
3. Sofia
4. a (correct answer)

Explanation: A is correct because it is the word that comes right before book in the sentence. Wants comes before a, not before book. Sofia is the first word in the sentence, at the very start. Book is the word itself, so it cannot come before itself.

Question 4

1. a (correct answer)
2. see
3. dog

Explanation: We are finding special words. The word 'a' comes right before 'dog'. It tells us about one dog.

Question 5

1. see
2. a (correct answer)
3. dog

Explanation: We're finding special words before things. The word 'a' comes before 'dog'. It tells us about one dog.

Question 6

1. ball
2. has
3. the (correct answer)

Explanation: We're finding words that come before things. The word 'the' comes before 'ball'. It tells us which ball Amir has.

Question 7

1. egg
2. an (correct answer)
3. wants

Explanation: We're looking for the special word before 'egg'. The word 'an' comes before 'egg'. We use 'an' because egg starts with the 'e' sound.

Question 8

1. a (correct answer)
2. reads
3. book

Explanation: We are finding special words. The word 'a' comes right before 'book'. It tells us Chen reads one book.

Question 9

1. a egg
2. an egg (correct answer)
3. the egg

Explanation: We use 'a' or 'an' before things. We say 'an egg' because egg starts with a vowel sound. Always use 'an' before vowel sounds.

Question 10

1. an apple (correct answer)
2. a apple
3. the apple

Explanation: We use 'a' or 'an' before things. We say 'an apple' because apple starts with a vowel sound. Use 'an' before vowel sounds.

Question 11

1. an
2. a (correct answer)
3. those

Explanation: We need a word before 'book'. We use 'a' because book starts with a consonant sound. Say 'a book' not 'an book'.

Question 12

1. a
2. an (correct answer)
3. the

Explanation: The word orange starts with a vowel sound, so it needs an instead of a. The word a is used before words that start with consonant sounds, like a dog. The word the would mean one specific orange that was already mentioned, which is not what this sentence means. An orange is the correct way to say it.

Question 13

1. has
2. an (correct answer)
3. Sofia

Explanation: An is the word that comes right before egg in the sentence. Has comes earlier in the sentence, but it is not the word directly before egg. Sofia is the first word in the sentence, far from egg. An is the only choice that sits right next to egg.

Question 14

1. an
2. the (correct answer)
3. these

Explanation: We need a word before 'cat'. 'The' fits best here. It tells us about one special cat.

Question 15

1. an (correct answer)
2. egg
3. has
4. Maya

Explanation: The word an means one and comes right before the naming word egg. Egg is the naming word itself, not the little word before it. Has tells what Maya did, and Maya is the name of the girl in the sentence.

Question 16

1. kite
2. there
3. that (correct answer)
4. is

Explanation: That is correct because that points to something far away, while this would point to something close by. Kite names the object, not the distance. There tells where the kite is, but that is the word that signals far away in this sentence. Is is a linking word and does not show distance.

Question 17

1. These (correct answer)
2. This
3. That
4. Those

Explanation: The word these shows that the crayons are near and that there is more than one, so answer A is correct. This also means near, but it only works for one thing, not many. That and those both point to things that are far away, not close by, so neither one matches the sentence.

Question 18

1. rolls
2. red (correct answer)
3. ball
4. the

Explanation: Finding the word "before" another word is like looking to the left in a sentence. The word before comes just ahead of it, like the friend standing in line right in front of you! Let's read our sentence slowly: "The red ball rolls." Now put your finger on the word ball. To find the word before it, slide your finger back one step to the left. What do you land on? You land on red! So the word before "ball" is red. Great job following the words in order! Try this: read "The big dog runs." Put your finger on "dog," then slide back one word. You will find "big"! That is the word before "dog." You are becoming a super sentence detective!