"The" is the correct article.
An is article used before words that start with vowel.
Article before the word useful
british do not use any article before hospital. but americons sometimes use article "the" before hospital.
The indefinite article used before "ear" is "an", because "ear" starts with a vowel sound.
why we use an before hotel
The article "the" should be used before "MLA" because it stands for "Modern Language Association," which is a specific organization.
Because it has common noun in it...
The reference material article should be used before the ancient book named Geeta.
an mp
The article you are asking about is the definite article, also known as the word "the".
Was is not an article. It's a past tense for of to be.