Spelling – Identify the single misspelled word among options A–D (choose exactly one; ignore “All correct”). A) Periphery B) Advurtise C) Courteous D) Indefinite

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Advurtise

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Questions on spelling test your ability to recognize standard dictionary forms and to avoid phonetic traps. Here you must select the only misspelled item from four near-commonsense words while ignoring the distractor “All correct”.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • A: Periphery – the outer boundary; standard spelling.
  • B: Advurtise – intended word is “advertise”.
  • C: Courteous – showing politeness; standard spelling.
  • D: Indefinite – not clearly defined; standard spelling.


Concept / Approach:
English spelling often resists pure phonetics. The word “advertise” retains the vowel sequence “er” after “adv”, not “ur”. Validate spellings against common roots and suffixes (-ous, -ite, -ise/-ize).


Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Check A: “periphery” ends with “-ery”, formed from “peripher-” + “y”; correct.2) Check C: “courteous” derives from “courte-” + “-ous”; correct.3) Check D: “indefinite” uses “in-” (not) + “definite”; correct.4) Check B: phonetic miscue “Advurtise” should be “Advertise”. Thus B is the single error.


Verification / Alternative check:
Break “advertise” into ad + vert (turn) + ise; many Romance-origin words keep “er” after “adv/vert”. A quick dictionary check would confirm the canonical form “advertise”.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Periphery: correct; changing to “perifery/periphary” would be wrong.
  • Courteous: correct; “courtage/courtious” would be wrong.
  • Indefinite: correct; “indefinate” is the common error, not present here.


Common Pitfalls:
Choosing “All correct” when one option merely “sounds” acceptable; relying on sound (“ur”) rather than established spelling patterns; overcorrecting to British “-ise/-ize” variants (irrelevant here).


Final Answer:
Advurtise

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