Four alternative spellings of a word meaning "extremely economical or unwilling to spend money" are given. Which one is the correctly spelt form?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Parsimonious

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This spelling question asks you to identify the correct form of a relatively advanced vocabulary word meaning very unwilling to spend money. That word is commonly used in formal English to describe people who are extremely frugal or stingy. The options present several close but incorrect spellings along with the correct one. Being able to recognise the correct form is important for both writing and vocabulary based questions.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The intended word is parsimonious, meaning extremely economical or unwilling to spend money.
  • Option A: Persemonious.
  • Option B: Persimonoius.
  • Option C: Parsemonious.
  • Option D: Parsimonious.
  • We assume standard British and American spellings are the same for this word.


Concept / Approach:
The correct spelling is parsimonious with the letters p a r s i m o n i o u s. The root is parsimony, meaning extreme unwillingness to spend money. The distractor spellings change the positions of e and i, insert extra vowels, or alter the consonant pattern. By recalling the root parsimony and its correct spelling, you can easily recognise parsimonious as the only accurate option.



Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the base noun parsimony, which is spelt p a r s i m o n y.Step 2: Form the adjective by adding the ending i o u s, giving parsimonious.Step 3: Compare this with option D: Parsimonious, which matches exactly.Step 4: Check option A: Persemonious; here, the letters e and i are misplaced, and the core root parsim is broken.Step 5: Check options B and C, which contain letter sequences like simonoius or semonious that do not match the known word. Therefore, only option D preserves the correct and recognised spelling.


Verification / Alternative check:
Use the word in a sample sentence: His parsimonious lifestyle meant that he rarely spent money on luxuries. If you try to write persemonious or parsemonious, most spell checkers will underline them as incorrect. Dictionaries and vocabulary books also list only parsimonious as the correct form. This cross checking between memory, usage, and reference confirms the right spelling.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Persemonious (option A) is not a recognised English word; the segment perse does not reflect the root parsimony. Persimonoius (option B) includes the extra o i u sequence in the middle and does not match the pattern from parsimony. Parsemonious (option C) also misplaces vowels and does not correspond to any known English adjective. All of these are deliberate misspellings designed to test careful attention to letter order.



Common Pitfalls:
Because parsimonious is not a word used in everyday conversation, many students have only seen it a few times in reading and may not have memorised its exact spelling. Words ending in ious are also common sources of error. A helpful strategy is to learn the noun adjective pair together: parsimony and parsimonious, economy and economical, generosity and generous. Seeing the family of forms together strengthens your memory of correct spellings.



Final Answer:
The correctly spelt form of the word meaning extremely economical or unwilling to spend money is Parsimonious, so option D is correct.

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