a chicken/ chicken

[Iryn_]

Hello, everybody!

1) Can I have a chicken?
2) Can I have chicken?

In one of the tests I've taken, it says that N1 is incorrect and N2 is correct.
Please, do explain why, because I don't seem to find any explanation in (on?) the Internet.

Many thanks.

[MikeNewYork]

That depends on the context. People don't ordinarily order "a chicken" in a restaurant. But one can order "a chicken" in a butcher shop or grocery store.

[Iryn_]

there's no context, unfortunately, - only a separate sentence.
So does it mean that with article "a" we're ordering a whole chicken, and without article - just a piece of it?

[Piscean]

If there is no context, we cannot be sure of anything. Where did you find this context-free sentence?

[Iryn_]

That was a sentence from the exam worksheet.

[GoesStation]

My neighbors might look at me strangely if I asked "Can I have a chicken?" But then they'd ask, "Which one do you want?" (They raise chickens.)

[Rover_KE]

...or they might ask 'running around or oven-ready?'

[Tdol]

It's not a good exam question because there are contexts when you could use the first answer.