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Difficulty: HardMonophthongs (Pure Vowels)

Which of the following words contains the same pure vowel sound as the stressed syllable in sergeant?

  1. A
    merchant
  2. hearthAnswer
  3. C
    dearth
  4. D
    tier

Answer

hearth
The word 'sergeant' (/ˈsɑːdʒənt/) contains the long open back unrounded monophthong /ɑː/ in its initial stressed syllable. The word 'hearth' (/hɑːθ/) contains this exact same pure vowel sound.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the phonetic transcription of the target word's stressed syllable.
The word 'sergeant' is transcribed as /ˈsɑːdʒənt/. The primary stressed vowel sound represented by 'er' is the monophthong /ɑː/.
Deceptive orthography leads test-takers to assume 'er' produces /ɜː/ as in 'serve' or 'merchant', but in 'sergeant' it produces /ɑː/.
2
Analyze the vowel sounds in each option.
'merchant' has /ɜː/, 'hearth' has /ɑː/, 'dearth' has /ɜː/, and 'tier' has /ɪə/.
Isolating the monophthong in each choice helps identify which one shares the exact phonetic quality of /ɑː/.
3
Match the target monophthong to the correct option.
'hearth' (/hɑːθ/) matches 'sergeant' (/ˈsɑːdʒənt/) with the monophthong /ɑː/.
'hearth' uses the uncommon spelling pattern 'ear' to represent /ɑː/.

Key Concept

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels) - Distinction of /ɑː/ sound in deceptive orthography
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)

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