In the following question, the main/primary stress is indicated by writing the syllable on which it occurs in…

Analyze the question: You are asked to pick the option that marks the primary stress correctly on the word "apologize" (a-pol-o-gize, four syllables).

Concept: In English, many verbs ending in -ize (such as realize, organize, apologize) do not take the main stress on the suffix. For longer words like this, stress usually falls on the second syllable, counting from the start. This is the antepenultimate syllable (third from the end). The suffix -ize carries a secondary stress at most.

Solution:

1. Break the word into syllables: a – pol – o – gize
2. Say it naturally: uh-POL-uh-jize
3. The strongest beat falls on POL, the second syllable.
4. Check each option: • A. A-pol-o-gize: stress on the first syllable. Wrong, because the first syllable is a weak "uh" sound. • B. a-POL-o-gize: stress on the second syllable. Correct. • C. a-pol-O-gize: stress on the third syllable. Wrong. • D. a-pol-o-GIZE: stress on the last syllable. Wrong.

Answer: The correct option is B. a-POL-o-gize.

Tip: Words ending in -ize or -ise with three or more syllables usually keep the stress away from the ending. Compare ORganize, reCOGnize, apOLogize. Also, the first syllable "a-" in words like apologize, attempt and about is usually unstressed (the weak "schwa" sound), so you can quickly eliminate option A.