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Emphatic Stress

59 questions

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Question 21Question →

In Oral English, emphatic stress highlights a specific word to emphasize contrast or correct a misconception. Read the statement below, where the word with emphatic stress is written in CAPITAL LETTERS:

The board reluctantly approved the REVISED budget proposal during the morning session.

Which of the following questions is the statement an appropriate response to?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the board reluctantly approve the original budget proposal during the morning session?

Answer

Did the board reluctantly approve the original budget proposal during the morning session?
The correct response is the question asking whether the board approved the 'original' budget proposal. Because 'REVISED' carries emphatic stress, the sentence refutes or corrects an assumption that a different version (such as the original version) was approved, while maintaining all other elements of the sentence unchanged.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word bearing emphatic stress in the given statement.
The word 'REVISED' is written in capital letters, indicating it carries the emphatic stress.
Emphatic stress signals specific contrast on the emphasized word.
2
Determine the focus and function of the stressed word.
'REVISED' is an adjective modifying 'budget proposal', contrasting the specific version of the document with alternative versions.
Placing stress on an adjective implies correcting a misconception regarding that specific quality or attribute.
3
Evaluate the options to find the question that contradicts ONLY the stressed word.
The question asking about the 'original budget proposal' contradicts ONLY 'REVISED' while leaving the subject, action, and time frame identical to the statement.
A sentence with emphatic stress serves as a direct contrastive response to a question or statement that asserts the opposite for the stressed element only.

Key Concept

Emphatic stress is used to highlight contrast or correct information regarding a specific word in a sentence, leaving all unstressed elements unchallenged.
Estimated Time:1m 15s
Question 22Question →

Determine the appropriate word to complete the question that tests the emphatic stress in the given sentence.

Fill in the blanks below

Given sentence: 'The ARCHITECT designed the new museum in Abuja.'
Contrastive question: 'Did the design the new museum in Abuja?'
Show answer & explanation

Answer

A contrasting noun representing a different profession (such as 'engineer', 'builder', or 'contractor') that substitutes the capitalized subject 'ARCHITECT' while leaving the rest of the sentence unchanged.
Emphatic stress focuses prominence on the capitalized word 'ARCHITECT'. To test or respond to emphatic stress correctly, the matching question must replace only the capitalized word with a contrasting noun (such as 'engineer' or 'builder') while leaving the rest of the sentence structure completely unchanged.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word bearing emphatic stress in the sentence.
The word 'ARCHITECT' is in capital letters, indicating that emphatic stress (contrastive focus) is placed on the subject of the sentence.
Emphatic stress highlights a specific piece of information to contrast it with alternative possibilities.
2
Formulate a question that directly tests or questions the stressed word.
The question must keep all uncapitalized words intact ('design the new museum in Abuja') and replace only 'ARCHITECT' with a contrasting noun.
A correct question eliciting emphatic stress contradicts only the stressed item and preserves the rest of the context.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 23Question →

Which question correctly elicits the emphatic stress in the given statement?

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The defense attorney REJECTED the settlement proposal during the conference.
Question:
Show answer & explanation

Answer

Did the defense attorney accept the settlement proposal during the conference?
In Oral English, emphatic stress indicates contrastive focus on the capitalized word. Because 'REJECTED' is capitalized, the preceding question must introduce a contrasting verb (such as 'accept' or 'approve') while keeping every other structural component of the statement—the defense attorney, the settlement proposal, and during the conference—completely identical.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying the emphatic stress in the sentence stem.
The verb 'REJECTED' is printed in full capital letters, indicating contrastive focus on the action performed.
Emphatic stress highlights a specific word to contradict an alternative assertion or assumption regarding that exact element.
2
Formulate a question that contradicts only the stressed verb while leaving all other details unchanged.
The correct question must substitute 'REJECTED' with an opposing action (e.g., 'accept' or 'approve') while retaining 'the defense attorney', 'the settlement proposal', and 'during the conference'.
If any other part of the sentence is altered in the question, the stress would logically shift to that altered part instead.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 24Question →

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?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the diplomats sign the historic peace treaty in Vienna?

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
Question 25Question →

The chief diplomat PRIVATELY negotiated the peace treaty in Geneva. Which of the following questions is correctly answered by the statement above?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the chief diplomat publicly negotiate the peace treaty in Geneva?

Answer

Did the chief diplomat publicly negotiate the peace treaty in Geneva?
In Oral English, a word printed in capital letters carries emphatic stress, meaning it provides the contrastive answer to a question that directly disputes that specific detail. The capitalized word 'PRIVATELY' indicates how the action was performed. The question asking whether the diplomat 'publicly' negotiated the treaty directly opposes 'PRIVATELY' while leaving the subject ('chief diplomat'), action ('negotiated'), object ('peace treaty'), and location ('in Geneva') intact.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word bearing emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word in FULL CAPITAL LETTERS is 'PRIVATELY', which functions as an adverb of manner.
Emphatic stress indicates the specific focus of contrast or correction in spoken English.
2
Formulate a question that contradicts ONLY the emphasized word while retaining all other original details.
Replacing 'PRIVATELY' with an opposing concept ('publicly') yields: 'Did the chief diplomat publicly negotiate the peace treaty in Geneva?'
A statement with emphatic stress serves as an emphatic answer or correction to a question targeting that specific capitalized element.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the matching contrastive question.
The question contrasting 'publicly' with 'PRIVATELY' correctly elicits the target statement.
Distractors incorrectly attempt to question uncapitalized words such as the subject, verb, or object.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 26Question →

In the sentence below, the word written in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress. Supply the correct contrastive question that elicits the emphasized word.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The surgeon RELUCTANTLY performed the emergency procedure.
Question:
Show answer & explanation

Answer

Did the surgeon willingly perform the emergency procedure?
The word 'RELUCTANTLY' carries the emphatic stress in the statement. To elicit emphatic stress on an adverb of manner, the corresponding question must contrast that manner by asking if the action was performed in an opposite or different manner (e.g., 'willingly'), while keeping all other components of the statement identical.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the word carrying emphatic stress in the given statement.
The adverb 'RELUCTANTLY' is capitalized, indicating contrastive focus on the manner in which the action was performed.
Emphatic stress highlights a specific element of a sentence to contrast it against an implied alternative.
2
Formulate a contrastive question that queries only the stressed element.
The contrastive question must substitute 'RELUCTANTLY' with an antonym or contrasting manner (such as 'willingly' or 'eagerly'), while leaving the subject ('the surgeon'), verb ('performed'), and direct object ('the emergency procedure') unchanged.
A valid contrastive stress question directly contradicts or questions only the capitalized word.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 27Question →

Read the statement containing emphatic stress below and complete the contrastive question that correctly elicits it.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: 'The BOTANIST identified the rare species in the reserve.'

Contrastive Question: 'Did the zoologist the rare species in the reserve?'
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The correct word to complete the contrastive question is 'identify'.
The word 'identify' correctly completes the contrastive question. When emphatic stress is placed on the subject ('BOTANIST'), the eliciting question must challenge that subject by substituting a different noun ('zoologist') while preserving the exact action ('identify') and object details from the statement. Grammatically, 'Did' requires the base form of the verb.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the word bearing emphatic stress in the given statement.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'BOTANIST', which functions as the subject of the sentence.
Emphatic stress indicates the specific point of contrast that the preceding question must address.
2
Determine how the contrastive question should be constructed.
The question must introduce a contrasting subject ('zoologist') while keeping the rest of the predicate identical to the statement.
To elicit emphatic stress on the subject, only the subject of the statement is contradicted in the question; all other details (action, object, location) must remain unchanged.
3
Apply correct grammatical rules to complete the verb phrase in the question.
Following the auxiliary verb 'Did', the main verb must take its base form 'identify'.
English syntax requires an uninflected base verb after the past-tense auxiliary 'Did'.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress in Oral English
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 28Question →

In the sentence below, the word printed in capital letters carries emphatic stress:

The GEOLOGIST discovered a rare mineral in the cave.

Which of the following questions is the statement an answer to?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the botanist discover a rare mineral in the cave?

Answer

Did the botanist discover a rare mineral in the cave?
The correct option questions the identity of the person who made the discovery by substituting 'botanist' for 'geologist'. Answering this question with the given statement correctly places emphatic stress on 'GEOLOGIST' to refute the wrong subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the capitalized word carrying emphatic stress.
The capitalized word is 'GEOLOGIST', which functions as the subject of the statement.
Emphatic stress is used to highlight or contrast specific information in a statement.
2
Determine the appropriate question that would elicit this stressed response.
The correct question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('geologist'), introducing a contrasting subject ('botanist') while preserving all other sentence elements.
When a speaker responds to a question that misidentifies the stressed element, they emphasize the correct word to fix the misunderstanding.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress Focus
Question 29Question →

In the statement below, the word written in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress.

The chief archivist REGULARLY audited the confidential records in the basement.

Which of the following questions is correctly answered by the statement above?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the chief archivist RARELY audit the confidential records in the basement?

Answer

The question 'Did the chief archivist RARELY audit the confidential records in the basement?' is the correct question because emphatic stress on 'REGULARLY' highlights the frequency of the action, contradicting the notion that it occurred rarely while keeping all other information in the sentence identical.
Emphatic stress places contrastive emphasis on the capitalized word. Because 'REGULARLY' is capitalized, the sentence is designed to correct a wrong assumption about the frequency of the action. The option asking 'Did the chief archivist RARELY audit the confidential records in the basement?' introduces 'RARELY' to directly contradict 'REGULARLY', while keeping every other detail in the sentence identical. Therefore, the statement directly answers this question.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word bearing emphatic stress in the given statement.
The word capitalized is 'REGULARLY', which functions as an adverb of frequency modifying the verb 'audited'.
Emphatic stress serves to place contrastive focus exclusively on the capitalized word.
2
Determine what information a contrastive question must target.
The appropriate question must contradict or inquire specifically about the frequency of auditing ('REGULARLY'), while preserving all other elements (chief archivist, audited, confidential records, in the basement).
In Oral English emphatic stress rules, the stressed item is the only piece of information disputed or emphasized in context.
3
Evaluate the options to find the exact matching question.
The question asking if the archivist 'RARELY' audited the records provides the exact contrast needed for 'REGULARLY'.
'RARELY' directly disputes 'REGULARLY', making the statement a natural and precise response.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress (Contrastive Focus)
Question 30Question →

The courageous librarian QUICKLY retrieved the ancient manuscript from the burning archive.

Which of the following options represents the question to which the sentence above is the appropriate answer?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the courageous librarian hesitantly retrieve the ancient manuscript from the burning archive?

Answer

Did the courageous librarian hesitantly retrieve the ancient manuscript from the burning archive?
Emphatic stress on 'QUICKLY' indicates that the manner of the action is the focus of contrast. The sentence serves as an explicit response to a statement or question suggesting an opposing manner, such as doing it 'hesitantly', while keeping all other information in the sentence unchanged.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'QUICKLY', indicating stress on the manner of action.
Emphatic stress is used in spoken English to give special prominence to a word, contrasting it with an alternative or correcting a misconception.
2
Select the question that specifically contradicts the capitalized word.
The question asking if the librarian retrieved the manuscript 'hesitantly' directly contrasts with 'QUICKLY'.
All other sentence components (subject, verb, object, location) must remain identical in the eliciting question.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress Focus and Contrast
Question 31Question →

In the sentence below, one word is printed in FULL CAPITAL LETTERS to show emphatic stress:

The defense attorney UNEXPECTEDLY cross-examined the key witness during the trial yesterday.

Which of the following contrastive questions correctly elicits this statement?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the defense attorney predictably cross-examine the key witness during the trial yesterday?

Answer

Did the defense attorney predictably cross-examine the key witness during the trial yesterday?
Emphatic stress is used to highlight or correct a specific piece of contrastive information. In the given sentence, 'UNEXPECTEDLY' carries the emphatic stress. The correct contrastive question must present an assertion that contradicts 'UNEXPECTEDLY' (such as 'predictably') while leaving every other syntactic element identical. Answering that question with emphatic stress on 'UNEXPECTEDLY' correctly resolves the contrast.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given statement.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'UNEXPECTEDLY', an adverb of manner.
Emphatic stress highlights specific contrastive focus within a sentence.
2
Determine the required contrastive question structure for emphatic stress items.
The correct response question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('UNEXPECTEDLY') by supplying an opposing or alternative word ('predictably' or 'routinely'), while keeping every other element identical.
In English oral communication and JAMB examination standards, emphatic stress corrects an erroneous assumption made by the speaker asking the question.
3
Evaluate the options against the target contrastive focus.
The option asking whether the attorney 'predictably' cross-examined the witness is the only question whose false premise ('predictably') is directly corrected by emphasizing 'UNEXPECTEDLY'.
All other options erroneously alter the subject, the main verb, or the direct object.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 32Question →

Read the statement containing emphatic stress below and complete the contrastive question that correctly elicits it.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The astronomer observed a DISTANT galaxy through the observatory telescope.
Contrastive question: Did the astronomer observe a galaxy through the observatory telescope?
Show answer & explanation

Answer

An adjective providing a contrasting modifier for the noun 'galaxy' (such as 'nearby' or 'close') placed in the blank of the contrastive question.
In Oral English, emphatic stress indicates contrastive focus. To elicit a sentence where 'DISTANT' is stressed, the contrastive question must query the adjective modifying the galaxy while keeping the rest of the sentence identical. Replacing 'DISTANT' with a contrasting adjective like 'nearby' or 'close' makes the given sentence the natural corrective response.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'DISTANT', which functions as an adjective modifying 'galaxy'.
Emphatic stress highlights the specific element being focused on or contrasted in the sentence.
2
Apply the rule of contrastive focus to construct the eliciting question.
The correct contrastive question must change ONLY the capitalized word ('DISTANT') while retaining all other grammatical elements unchanged.
Placing emphatic stress on 'DISTANT' contradicts a wrong assertion regarding the proximity of the galaxy.
3
Complete the missing word in the contrastive question.
Inserting an antonymous or contrasting adjective such as 'nearby' or 'close' creates the precise question that is answered by emphasizing 'DISTANT'.
Asking 'Did the astronomer observe a nearby galaxy...?' is naturally contradicted by 'No, the astronomer observed a DISTANT galaxy...'.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 33Question →

In the sentence below, the word printed in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress.

Uncle Jude bought a RED bicycle for his nephew.

Which of the following options contains the question that elicits this statement?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did Uncle Jude buy a blue bicycle for his nephew?

Answer

Did Uncle Jude buy a blue bicycle for his nephew?
The sentence places emphatic stress on the adjective 'RED'. The correct contrastive question must question or contradict only this stressed word. Asking whether the bicycle was 'blue' contrasts specifically with 'RED' while keeping 'Uncle Jude', 'bought', 'bicycle', and 'for his nephew' completely intact.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word 'RED' is capitalized, indicating that it carries emphatic stress.
Emphatic stress is used to highlight a specific word for contrastive focus.
2
Determine the required contrastive question.
The correct question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('RED') while retaining all other sentence elements unchanged.
An emphatic stress question queries the specific piece of emphasized information.
3
Evaluate the options to find the correct contrastive question.
The question asking if Uncle Jude bought a 'blue' bicycle directly challenges the color 'RED' while keeping every other word in the original sentence identical.
Only this option isolates and questions the emphasized adjective.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 34Question →

Consider the following sentence where emphatic stress is placed on the capitalized word:

'The renowned archaeologist UNINTENTIONALLY damaged the fragile artifact during the excavation.'

Which question appropriately elicits this sentence as its correct response?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the renowned archaeologist intentionally damage the fragile artifact during the excavation?

Answer

Did the renowned archaeologist intentionally damage the fragile artifact during the excavation?
The statement places emphatic stress on the adverb 'UNINTENTIONALLY'. The question that elicits this response must propose the opposite concept ('intentionally') regarding the manner of damage, while leaving all other elements (the renowned archaeologist, damaging the fragile artifact, during the excavation) entirely unchanged.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The capitalized word is 'UNINTENTIONALLY', which expresses the manner or intent of the action.
Emphatic stress highlights a specific item of information to correct or contrast an assumption regarding that specific detail.
2
Formulate a contrastive question targeting only the capitalized word.
The target question must ask whether the action was performed 'intentionally', leaving all other lexical elements unchanged.
A sentence with emphatic stress serves as a direct, contrastive answer to a question that contradicts only the stressed word.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the exact match.
The option asking 'Did the renowned archaeologist intentionally damage the fragile artifact during the excavation?' provides the exact contrast required.
Answering 'No, the renowned archaeologist UNINTENTIONALLY damaged...' directly corrects the misconception in that question.

Key Concept

Emphatic stress highlights a single word in a spoken sentence to provide contrastive focus. The corresponding question must contradict only the stressed word while preserving the exact wording of all unstressed elements.
Question 35Question →

In the sentence below, one word is printed in FULL CAPITAL LETTERS to show emphatic stress:

The meticulous architect UNANIMOUSLY approved the revised skyscraper blueprint.

Which of the following questions is correctly elicited by this statement?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the meticulous architect reluctantly approve the revised skyscraper blueprint?

Answer

Did the meticulous architect reluctantly approve the revised skyscraper blueprint?
Emphatic stress places contrastive focus on the capitalized word 'UNANIMOUSLY'. To elicit a statement with emphatic stress on 'UNANIMOUSLY', the preceding question must introduce a contradictory notion specifically regarding how the approval was given (e.g., 'reluctantly'), while keeping all other details ('meticulous architect', 'approved', 'revised skyscraper blueprint') identical.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'UNANIMOUSLY', an adverb indicating total agreement.
Emphatic stress signals the specific piece of information being highlighted or contrasted in spoken dialogue.
2
Determine the required content of the contrastive question.
The correct question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('UNANIMOUSLY') while keeping every other element of the statement unchanged.
Emphatic stress rules require that contrastive focus shifts only the stressed item to resolve false assumptions.
3
Evaluate the options against the contrastive focus rule.
The option asking if the architect 'reluctantly' approved the blueprint replaces 'UNANIMOUSLY' with its opposite ('reluctantly') while leaving the rest of the sentence intact.
This makes it the only question that naturally elicits the emphatic response statement.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 36Question →

Read the statement below in which the word printed in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress. Then complete the contrastive question that correctly elicits this statement by filling in the blank with an appropriate contrasting noun.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The talented pianist played the HARPSICHORD during the evening concert.

Contrastive question: Did the talented pianist play the during the evening concert?
Show answer & explanation

Answer

Any noun that contrasts with 'HARPSICHORD' (such as 'violin', 'piano', or 'flute') correctly completes the contrastive question.
In Oral English, emphatic stress highlights a specific word in a sentence for contrast. When a speaker emphasizes 'HARPSICHORD', they are emphasizing the specific instrument played rather than who played it, what action was taken, or when it occurred. The appropriate contrastive question must therefore introduce a different, contrasting instrument in place of the stressed word to prompt the given statement as a corrective response.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the capitalized word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The word carrying emphatic stress is 'HARPSICHORD', which functions as the direct object noun indicating the instrument.
Emphatic stress places contrastive focus specifically on the emphasized word while keeping all other information unchanged.
2
Formulate a contrastive question that questions only the stressed information.
The question must keep the subject ('the talented pianist'), verb ('play'), and time adjunct ('during the evening concert') identical, substituting only the direct object noun 'HARPSICHORD' with a contrasting musical instrument.
Answering 'No, the talented pianist played the HARPSICHORD...' resolves the disagreement introduced by questioning the wrong instrument.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress in Oral English
Estimated Time:45s
Question 37Question →

In the sentence below, the word written in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress:

The archaeological team RIGOROUSLY excavated the ancient ruins near the oasis last spring.

Which of the following questions is the statement above an answer to?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the archaeological team carelessly excavate the ancient ruins near the oasis last spring?

Answer

The statement is an answer to the question questioning whether the archaeological team carelessly excavated the ancient ruins near the oasis last spring.
In Oral English and contrastive stress analysis, emphatic stress on a specific word indicates that the statement is correcting or emphasizing that particular piece of information against a direct contrast. The capitalized word 'RIGOROUSLY' specifies the manner of excavation. The question asking if the team 'carelessly' excavated the ruins directly challenges this manner adverb while preserving every other lexical and grammatical element of the sentence ('the archaeological team', 'excavated', 'the ancient ruins near the oasis', 'last spring').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word bearing emphatic stress in the given statement.
The word 'RIGOROUSLY' is written in capital letters, indicating that it carries emphatic (contrastive) stress.
Emphatic stress highlights specific contrastive information, signaling that the speaker is correcting or emphasizing that precise detail.
2
Determine the syntactic function and semantic role of the stressed word.
'RIGOROUSLY' is an adverb of manner describing how the excavation was carried out.
The contrastive question must specifically challenge or ask about the manner of the action.
3
Evaluate the options to find the question that contradicts ONLY the stressed word while keeping all other sentence components identical.
The question asking if the team 'carelessly' excavated the ruins contradicts 'RIGOROUSLY' and leaves the subject, verb, direct object, location, and time untouched.
Emphatic stress rules require the correct question to differ solely in the element corresponding to the stressed word.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 38Question →

In the statement below, one word is written in CAPITAL LETTERS to indicate emphatic stress. Complete the contrastive question by filling in the blank with an appropriate word that directly challenges the emphasized word.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The environmental scientist METICULOUSLY analyzed the soil samples in the laboratory.
Question: Did the environmental scientist analyze the soil samples in the laboratory?
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The blank must be filled with a contrasting adverb of manner (such as 'carelessly' or 'hastily') that contradicts the emphasized word 'METICULOUSLY' while keeping all other elements of the statement unchanged.
Because 'METICULOUSLY' carries emphatic stress, the contrastive question must introduce a contrasting adverb of manner (such as 'carelessly' or 'hastily'). When someone asks 'Did the environmental scientist carelessly analyze the soil samples...?', the speaker responds emphatically: 'No, the environmental scientist METICULOUSLY analyzed the soil samples...'

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The word 'METICULOUSLY' is written in capital letters, indicating that emphatic stress is placed on the adverb of manner.
Emphatic stress is used to highlight or contrast a specific piece of information in an utterance.
2
Determine what the corresponding contrastive question must ask.
The question must challenge only the stressed manner ('METICULOUSLY') by suggesting a contrasting manner (such as 'carelessly'), while leaving the subject ('environmental scientist'), action ('analyze'), object ('soil samples'), and location ('in the laboratory') identical to the original statement.
An authentic response to an emphatic stress question corrects the false assumption introduced in the contrastive question regarding the emphasized word.

Key Concept

Emphatic stress contrasts a single emphasized item with an opposing or alternative word, while maintaining all other uncapitalized components of the sentence intact.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 39Question →

Study the sentence below where emphatic stress is placed on the capitalized word:

'The experienced NAVIGATOR skillfully steered the vessel through the stormy strait.'

To elicit this statement, the contrastive question must contradict only the stressed word while keeping all other elements unchanged. Complete the appropriate contrastive question below.

Fill in the blanks below

Did the experienced skillfully steer the vessel through the stormy strait?
Show answer & explanation

Answer

Any contrasting noun referring to a different ship crew member or officer (such as 'captain', 'pilot', 'engineer', or 'helmsman') that replaces the stressed word 'NAVIGATOR'.
In English phonology and JAMB Oral English examinations, emphatic stress places contrastive focus on a specific word in a sentence. A statement with emphatic stress on 'NAVIGATOR' is an answer to a question that explicitly questions or contradicts that specific subject noun. Therefore, inserting a contrasting role such as 'captain' into the question ensures that only the stressed element is queried.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The word 'NAVIGATOR' is printed in full capital letters, indicating emphatic stress (contrastive focus).
Emphatic stress highlights the specific information being asserted or corrected in speech.
2
Determine the rule for eliciting sentences with emphatic stress.
The question that elicits an emphatic stress statement must ask about or contradict only the stressed word while leaving all other parts of the statement identical.
Contradicting the stressed element forces the speaker to emphasize that specific word in response.
3
Complete the contrastive question by replacing the stressed word with a plausible contrasting role.
Replacing 'NAVIGATOR' with a contrasting role like 'captain' yields: 'Did the experienced captain skillfully steer the vessel through the stormy strait?'
This question directly targets the subject noun 'NAVIGATOR', prompting the emphatic reply: 'No, the experienced NAVIGATOR skillfully steered...'

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Question Matching
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Question 40Question →

In the statement below, the word printed in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress:

The talented BAKER prepared a delicious birthday cake this morning.

Which of the following questions is the statement above the correct response to?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the talented tailor prepare a delicious birthday cake this morning?

Answer

The correct question is: 'Did the talented tailor prepare a delicious birthday cake this morning?'
The word 'BAKER' is printed in full capital letters to show emphatic stress. This means the speaker is emphasizing that it was a baker—and not someone of another profession, such as a tailor—who prepared the cake. The question asking whether a 'tailor' prepared the cake provides the exact contrastive context that prompts the given response.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word bearing emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word 'BAKER' is capitalized, indicating it receives primary contrastive stress.
Emphatic stress is used to highlight or place focus on a specific piece of information, contrasting it with an alternative.
2
Determine which component of the sentence is being emphasized.
The noun subject ('BAKER') is being emphasized.
Stress on the subject implies that the speaker is correcting or clarifying who performed the action, while all other details remain unchanged.
3
Select the question that introduces a contradiction specifically for the emphasized word.
The question asking if the 'tailor' prepared the cake directly conflicts with 'BAKER', while keeping the rest of the sentence identical.
The correct contrastive question must only disagree with the capitalized element.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress
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