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 pick the option that shows the correct primary stress for the word "category".

Concept: In English, many words ending in "-ory" or "-ary" (such as category, history, factory) carry the primary stress on the first syllable. The word has four syllables: cat-e-go-ry. The "go" and "ry" syllables are weak, and the "e" is a reduced vowel (/ə/).

Solution:

• The standard pronunciation is /ˈkætəɡəri/ (British) or /ˈkætəɡɔːri/ (American).
• The stress mark (ˈ) comes before the first syllable "cat".
• So the correct pattern is CAT-e-go-ry.

Checking the options:

• A. cat-e-GO-ry: stress on "go" (wrong)
• B. CAT-e-go-ry: stress on "cat" (correct)
• C. cat-e-go-RY: stress on the last syllable (wrong)
• D. cat-E-go-ry: stress on "e" (wrong)

Answer: B. CAT-e-go-ry

Tip: Words like category, calendar, cemetery, factory, history usually take stress on the first syllable. Also, related words such as categorical shift stress (ca-te-GO-ri-cal), but the base word category keeps it at the front. Don't mix them up in the exam!