Question
Didn't you buy _____ when you went shopping?
Official answer and solution
- Official answer
- A
- From
- Official GATE 2015 answer key
Solution
Identify the standard determiner used with non-count nouns in negative interrogative clauses.
In English grammar, 'paper' (as stationery) is an uncountable noun.
- In negative questions expecting an affirmative or neutral inquiry ('Didn't you buy...?'), the quantifier any is standardly used with uncountable nouns.
- 'Much paper' is awkward and rarely used in this context.
- 'No paper' creates an unintended double negation ('Didn't you buy no paper?').
- 'A few' is used only with plural countable nouns ('a few sheets of paper', not 'a few paper').
Therefore, the correct phrase is 'any paper' (option A).
Final answer
A
Common trap
Choosing 'a few paper', confusing non-count 'paper' with countable sheets.
The answer is the one in the official GATE answer key. The solution is this site's own explanation.
Source
- Paper
- GATE 2015 Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) Session 1
- Question
- 1 of 65, printed as GA Q.1
- Section
- General Aptitude
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