choose the option that best answers the question from the options lettered A-D He SLAPPED the teacher.

This question tests emphasis (stress) in spoken English. The capitalised word SLAPPED is the one carrying the stress, and that tells you which question the sentence is answering.

Step 1: Analyze the question In "He SLAPPED the teacher," the stress falls on the verb slapped. This means the speaker is stressing the action, perhaps in contrast to some other action. The sentence is the answer to a question about what he did to the teacher.

Step 2: The concept In JAMB oral English, the stressed word marks the new or contrasting information. The question that fits is one that mentions the same unstressed parts (he, the teacher) and asks about the stressed part (the action).

• Stress on SLAPPED → the question is about the action done to the teacher.
• Stress on HE → the question would be about who did it.
• Stress on TEACHER → the question would be about who was slapped.

Step 3: Test each option

• A. Did he greet the teacher? Keeps "he" and "the teacher" and asks about the action (greet). The reply "No, he SLAPPED the teacher" fits perfectly.
• B. Did the teacher flog him? The roles are reversed (teacher is now the doer). It doesn't match.
• C. Did he slap the nurse? This would put the stress on teacher (nurse vs teacher), not on slapped.
• D. Did he praise the principal? It changes both the action and the person, so the stress would not isolate the verb.

Step 4: Answer Option A is correct, since only it keeps the subject and object the same and questions the action, which is exactly what the stress on SLAPPED highlights.

Tip: In emphasis questions, find the capitalised word, then pick the option that changes only that part and keeps everything else identical.