The primary stress is indicated by writing the syllable on which it occurs in capital letters. From the words…

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the correct primary stress pattern for the word "presidency".

Concept: In English, words ending in -cy (like democracy, residency, presidency) usually follow the stress of their root word. The word comes from "preside → president". "President" is stressed on the first syllable: PRES-i-dent. The derived noun "presidency" keeps that stress on the first syllable.

Solution, step by step:

1. Break the word into syllables: pre-si-den-cy (4 syllables).
2. Look at the related word: PRES-i-dent (stress on the first syllable).
3. Check the pronunciation: /ˈprezɪdənsi/, with the stress on the first syllable.
4. Test each option: • A. pre-SI-den-cy: stress on the 2nd syllable, which is wrong. • B. pre-si-den-CY: stress on the last syllable, which is wrong. • C. pre-si-DEN-cy: stress on the 3rd syllable, which is wrong. • D. PRE-si-den-cy: stress on the 1st syllable, which is correct.

Answer: D. PRE-si-den-cy.

Exam tip: Words like president, presidency, precedent, evidence, residency, tendency all keep the stress on the first syllable. Be careful not to mix them up with words ending in -cracy (like de-MOC-ra-cy), where the stress moves to the syllable just before -cracy.