EXHIBIT 1D


                      MERRILL LYNCH FOCUS TWENTY FUND, INC.
            ARTICLES SUPPLEMENTARY TO THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
                    INCREASING THE AUTHORIZED CAPITAL STOCK
                               OF THE CORPORATION


     MERRILL LYNCH FOCUS TWENTY FUND, INC., a Maryland corporation (the
"Corporation") having its principal Maryland office c/o The Corporation Trust
Incorporated, 300 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, hereby
certifies to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland that:

     FIRST:   The Corporation is registered as an open-end investment company
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, with the authority to
issue Six Hundred Million (600,000,000) shares of capital stock. All shares of
all classes of the Corporation's capital stock have a par value of Ten Cents
($.10) per share, and an aggregate par value of Sixty Million Dollars
($60,000,000). The Corporation's shares of capital stock are classified into
four classes, consisting of One Hundred Million (100,000,000) shares of Class A
Common Stock, Two Hundred Million (200,000,000) shares of Class B Common Stock,
Two Hundred Million (200,000,000) shares of Class C Common Stock and One Hundred
Million (100,000,000) shares of Class D Common Stock.

     SECOND:  The Board of Directors of the Corporation, acting in accordance
with Section 2-105(c) of the Maryland General Corporation Law, hereby increases
the number of authorized shares of Class B Common Stock of the Corporation by
One Hundred Million (100,000,000) shares.

     THIRD:   After this increase in the number of authorized shares of capital
stock of the Corporation, the Corporation will have authority to issue Seven
Hundred Million (700,000,000) shares of capital stock, classified into four
classes, consisting of One Hundred Million (100,000,000) shares of Class A
Common Stock, Three Hundred Million (300,000,000) shares of Class B Common
Stock, Two Hundred Million (200,000,000) shares of Class C Common Stock and One
Hundred Million (100,000,000) shares of Class D Common Stock.

     FOURTH:  After this increase in the number of authorized shares of capital
stock of the Corporation, all shares of all classes of the Corporation's capital
stock have a par value of Ten Cents ($.10) per share and an aggregate par value
of Seventy Million Dollars ($70,000,000).


     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, MERRILL LYNCH FOCUS TWENTY FUND, INC. has caused these
Articles Supplementary to be signed in its name and on its behalf by its Vice
President and attested by its Secretary on December 22, 2000.

                                           MERRILL LYNCH FOCUS TWENTY FUND, INC.


                                           By:  /s/ Terry K. Glenn
                                              ----------------------------------
                                                Terry K. Glenn, President

Attest:

/s/ Donald C. Burke
--------------------------------
Donald C. Burke, Vice President

     THE UNDERSIGNED, President of MERRILL LYNCH FOCUS TWENTY FUND, INC., who
executed on behalf of said Corporation the foregoing Articles Supplementary, of
which this certificate is made a part, hereby acknowledges, in the name and on
behalf of said Corporation, the foregoing Articles Supplementary to be the
corporate act of said Corporation and further certifies that, to the best of his
knowledge, information and belief, the matters and facts set forth therein with
respect to the authorization and approval thereof are true in all material
respects, and that this statement is made under the penalties for perjury.


                                                /s/ Terry K. Glenn
                                                --------------------------------
                                                    Terry K. Glenn, President


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