economic — choose the one that has the correct stress

Analyze the question: You are asked to find where the primary stress falls in the word "economic".

Concept: In English, words ending in -ic usually take the main stress on the syllable just before the suffix (the penultimate syllable). Examples: geoGRAPHic, ecoNOMic, phoTOGraphic (the rule applies to the syllable right before -ic), deMOcratic (deMOCratic → the stress lands on the syllable before -ic: de-mo-CRAT-ic).

Step-by-step solution:

1. Break the word into syllables: ec – o – nom – ic (4 syllables).
2. The word ends in -ic, so the stress falls on the syllable immediately before it: nom.
3. This gives: ec-o-NOM-ic.

Check the note on pronunciation: Some speakers (and dictionaries) also accept ec-o-NOM-ics or the variant e-co-NOM-ic, but the stress remains on "NOM". Option B (ec-O-nom-ic) is the pattern for the noun eCOnomy (i-KON-uh-mee), which is a different word, so don't mix them up.

Answer: C. ec-o-NOM-ic

Tip: Remember the rule "stress the syllable before -ic" for words like ecoNOMic, pheNOMenic (exception-prone), sciENtific, graPHic, atMOSpheric. Common exceptions to learn are POLitics, LUnatic, ARithmetic (noun), CAtholic, RHEtoric. In the exam, quickly applying this rule saves time.