Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Stoically
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This spelling question checks knowledge of an adverb derived from the adjective stoic or stoical. The word describes a way of behaving that shows little emotion, especially in the face of pain or difficulty. Candidates often see it in reading comprehension passages that talk about characters bearing hardship calmly. Only one of the four similar looking spellings is correct according to standard English usage.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The adverb stoically is formed from stoic or stoical. When forming adverbs from adjectives ending in ic or ical, English usually adds ally or ally depending on the base. Stoic becomes stoically by inserting an a between ic and lly, shifting to a structure similar to basic to basically. Thus the correct spelling is s t o i c a l l y. The incorrect alternatives either drop the necessary a before l l y or use the wrong vowel combination oe instead of oi, leading to non standard forms.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the base adjectives stoic and stoical, which describe calm endurance.Step 2: Form the adverb according to the pattern stoic plus ally, with a added to keep pronunciation smooth, resulting in stoically.Step 3: Compare this with option A, Stoically, and confirm that it matches the expected pattern s t o i c a l l y.Step 4: Examine Stoicaly, which has only one l and drops one consonant from the expected lly ending, making it incorrect.Step 5: Examine Stoecally and Stoecaly, which both use oe instead of oi and therefore do not match the base adjective stoic. These are incorrect.
Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, consider similar adverbs like basic and basically or tragic and tragically. In all such cases, the adverb form has a double l y at the end. Applying the same pattern to stoic leads to stoically. Also, a quick mental search of sentences like She bore the pain stoically or He accepted the defeat stoically reveals that this spelling looks familiar from books and articles. The other variants look visually odd and do not align with common patterns in English spelling.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Stoicaly: This variant has only one l and thus breaks the usual lly ending of adverbs formed from adjectives in ic. Stoecally and Stoecaly: Both introduce oe instead of oi, which would suggest a completely different pronunciation and is not supported by any standard dictionary. In addition, Stoecaly also drops one l, compounding the error. These forms are clearly designed distractors that test attention to detail.
Common Pitfalls:
Because English spelling is sometimes irregular, candidates may over rely on sound and pick a form that looks shorter or simpler, like Stoicaly. Others may get confused by the presence of both stoic and stoical and assume that the adverb must be stoecally, mixing spellings from different languages. A practical exam strategy is to remember that most adverbs derived from adjectives ending in ic take ally, with a double l, and that the vowel sequence should closely match the base adjective, here oi rather than oe.
Final Answer:
The correctly spelt word is Stoically.
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