The defendant was charged with … because he caused his neighbour's death.

1. Analyze the question The sentence says the defendant caused his neighbour's death. We need the word for the crime of killing a person, with no special relationship between the killer and the victim.

2. Explain the concepts Let's look at the meaning of each option:

• Homicide: the killing of one human being by another (from Latin homo = man/human). It is the general term.
• Fatricide: not a standard English word. It looks like a misspelling of fratricide, which means killing one's brother or sister (Latin frater = brother).
• Patricide: killing one's own father (Latin pater = father).
• Genocide: the deliberate killing of a large group of people, usually a whole nation or ethnic group (Greek genos = race or tribe).

3. Solve step by step

• The victim is a neighbour, not a brother or sister, so fratricide (B) is out.
• The victim is not a father, so patricide (C) is out.
• One death is not mass killing of a people, so genocide (D) is out.
• That leaves homicide, the killing of a person in general. It fits perfectly.

4. Answer The correct option is A. homicide.

5. Exam tip Learn the Latin roots behind the "-cide" words (from caedere, "to kill"):

• homi- (human) → homicide
• patri- (father) → patricide
• matri- (mother) → matricide
• fratri- (brother) → fratricide
• sorori- (sister) → sororicide
• regi- (king) → regicide
• suicide → killing oneself
• geno- (race) → genocide

If the question doesn't name a family relationship or a whole group of people, homicide is usually the answer.