Choose from the options lettered A - E the one that most appropriately completes each sentence The boy was given____________

Analyze the question: The sentence "The boy was given ____" tests your knowledge of countable vs. uncountable nouns.

Explain the concept: "Meat" is an uncountable (mass) noun in standard English. This means:

• It has no plural form, so "meats" is wrong in this context.
• It cannot take the indefinite article "a" directly, so "a meat" is wrong.
• To talk about a specific quantity, we use a quantifier or unit word such as "a piece of," "a slice of," or "some."

Other examples of uncountable nouns: furniture, advice, information, bread, rice, water. We say "a piece of advice," "a loaf of bread," and "a piece of furniture."

Solution (checking each option):

• A. a lot of meats: Wrong, because "meats" treats meat as countable.
• B. a meat: Wrong, because an uncountable noun cannot take "a."
• C. a piece of meat: Correct. The unit word "piece" is used correctly with the uncountable noun "meat."
• D. meats: Wrong, because meat has no plural in standard usage here.
• E. some meats: Wrong, for the same reason as D. "Some meat" would be acceptable, but "some meats" is not.

Answer: The correct option is C. a piece of meat.

Exam tip: When you see an uncountable noun like meat, furniture, information, advice, or luggage with an "s" added or "a/an" in front of it, it is almost always a trap. Look for the option with a unit word such as "a piece of," "a slice of," or "a bit of."