Answer the following question below , the word in capital letters has the emphatic stress. Choose the option…

Step 1: Analyze the question This is an emphatic stress (oral English) question. The capitalised word, NARRATED, carries the stress. Emphatic stress highlights the word that answers, corrects, or contrasts with something in a preceding question or statement. So we must find the option to which "The traditional chief NARRATED the story to the children" is the natural reply.

Step 2: The concept The stressed word tells you what new or contrasting information is being given.

• Stress on chief would answer "Who told the story?" (option B).
• Stress on narrated would answer a question about what the chief did with the story (told it, as opposed to doing something else with it).
• Stress on children would answer "Who did he tell the story to?"

Step 3: Test each option

• A. "The children heard the story from the traditional chief." This is a statement, not a question, and it would not prompt stress on narrated.
• B. "Who narrated the story to the children?" The answer would stress CHIEF, not narrated. Wrong.
• C. "The children could not listen to the story..." The reply would stress something like listened or could. Not a match.
• D. "Did the chief hide the story from the children?" The reply "No, the chief NARRATED the story to the children" contrasts narrated (told) with hide (concealed). The stressed word directly corrects the action in the question. This fits.

Step 4: Answer The emphatic stress on NARRATED contrasts with "hide" in option D, so D is correct.

Tip: In emphatic stress questions, ask "Which word in the options is being contrasted or corrected by the capitalised word?" Match the stressed word to the part of the question it answers or contradicts. Here, narrated vs. hide.