1. There are a lot of clubs in my school, like a sports club and an art club.
2. There are a lot of clubs in my school, like the sports club and the art club.
(Do we have to use 'a' or 'the' in each sentence?)
Either one works just fine, depending on your meaning.
Using "a/an" means that you are referring to those clubs in general; they may or may not exist.
Using "the" means that you are referring to particular clubs that are already in existence.
Here is an interesting commentary. As for myself, I would have chosen such as. But both are correct.
http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/13585-such-vs-like.html
In the first sentence, you used the indefinite article "a" before both "sports club" and "art club." This implies that there are multiple sports clubs and multiple art clubs in your school.
In the second sentence, you used the definite article "the" before both "sports club" and "art club." This implies that there is only one sports club and one art club in your school.
Which article you use depends on whether you are referring to a specific club or any club in general. Here's a breakdown:
1. "A" is an indefinite article, indicating that you are referring to one of many possible clubs. It suggests that there are multiple clubs of the same type.
2. "The" is a definite article, implying that you are referring to something specific that has already been mentioned or is known to both the speaker and listener.
So, if there are multiple sports clubs and art clubs in your school, the first sentence is appropriate. If there is only one of each, the second sentence is more accurate.