Choose the option that best complete the gap (s) Our teacher defined.......as the killing of one's mother

Analyze the question: The sentence asks for the word that means "the killing of one's mother."

Explain the concept: Many English words for killing end in the suffix -cide, from the Latin caedere, meaning "to kill." The prefix tells you who or what is killed:

• matri- comes from mater, meaning "mother," so matricide means killing one's mother.
• patri- comes from pater, meaning "father," so patricide means killing one's father.
• Other examples: fratricide (killing a brother), homicide (killing a human), suicide (killing oneself), regicide (killing a king).

Solution, option by option:

• A. materiarch is not a standard English word, so it is out.
• B. patricide means killing one's father, which is wrong because the question asks about the mother.
• C. patriarch means a male head of a family or tribe. It has nothing to do with killing, so it is out.
• D. matricide means the killing of one's mother. This fits.

Answer: D. matricide.

Tip: Link the first letters. Matricide goes with Mother, and Patricide goes with Papa (father). The ending -cide always signals killing.