/ ʊ / — choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word that contains the vowel sound /ʊ/. This is the short vowel in words like "put" and "foot". It is different from the long /uː/ in "food".

Explain the concept:

• /ʊ/ is a short, relaxed vowel (e.g., put, full, good, foot).
• /uː/ is a long, tense vowel (e.g., moon, fool, soup, choose).
• The spelling "oo" can stand for either sound, so you must know the pronunciation of each word.

Solution, word by word:

• A. choose /tʃuːz/ has the long /uː/.
• B. tool /tuːl/ has the long /uː/.
• C. book /bʊk/ has the short /ʊ/.
• D. scoop /skuːp/ has the long /uː/.

Only book has the short /ʊ/ sound.

Tip: Common "oo" words with the short /ʊ/ include book, look, cook, good, foot, wood, wool, stood. Words with the long /uː/ include moon, tool, food, school, choose, scoop. A quick check: if you can stretch the sound without it feeling strange (mooooon), it is /uː/. If the sound is clipped (bʊk), it is /ʊ/.

Correct answer: C (book)