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Question

Difficulty: MediumEmphatic Stress

Consider the following statement: 'The diplomats signed the historic peace treaty in GENEVA.' Which of the options below is the question to which this sentence serves as the correct response?

  1. A
    Did the ministers sign the historic peace treaty in Geneva?
  2. B
    Did the diplomats sign the trade agreement in Geneva?
  3. Did the diplomats sign the historic peace treaty in Vienna?Answer
  4. D
    Did the diplomats reject the historic peace treaty in Geneva?

Answer

Did the diplomats sign the historic peace treaty in Vienna?
In Oral English, placing emphatic stress on a capitalized word indicates that this specific word is being contrasted with a false assumption in the preceding question. Since 'GENEVA' is stressed, the underlying question must differ only in the location mentioned ('Vienna').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word receiving emphatic stress in the given response.
The word written in full capital letters is 'GENEVA', which indicates the place/location.
Emphatic stress is used to highlight, emphasize, or correct a specific piece of information in a sentence.
2
Determine what the correct interrogative statement must contrast.
The corresponding question must match the original sentence in every detail except for the place ('Geneva'), which must be substituted with a different location.
The emphasized word provides the single point of contrast needed to correct the premise of the question.
3
Select the option that alters only the location.
The question asking about 'Vienna' instead of 'Geneva' keeps all other clause elements (subject: 'the diplomats', verb: 'signed', object: 'the historic peace treaty') unchanged.
Only the option questioning the location elicits a response with emphatic stress on 'GENEVA'.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Emphatic Stress

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