Question 75

Ms. Thom is demonstrating the rule of dropping the silent “e” before adding a vowel suffix.

In her lesson, Ms. Thom illustrates how to modify base words that end with a silent “e” by removing that “e” when adding a vowel suffix, which is a common spelling rule in English.

A) Keeping the silent “e” when adding a vowel suffix

This option is incorrect because the rule being demonstrated involves dropping the silent “e” rather than maintaining it. If Ms. Thom were to keep the silent “e,” the new words formed would not follow the expected pattern of modifying the base words correctly when a vowel suffix is added.

B) Dropping the silent “e” before adding a vowel suffix

This option is correct as it accurately describes the rule Ms. Thom is demonstrating. By removing the silent “e” before appending a vowel suffix, students can see the transformation of the base words into their new forms, which aligns with standard spelling rules.

C) Dropping the silent “e” when adding any suffix

While this option mentions dropping the silent “e,” it is incorrect because it generalizes to all suffixes. Ms. Thom's focus is specifically on vowel suffixes, where the silent “e” is dropped, not on all suffixes which may have different rules.

D) Keeping the silent “e” when adding any suffix

This option is also incorrect since it contradicts the lesson Ms. Thom is presenting. The silent “e” is not kept with vowel suffixes, as demonstrated in her examples, making this choice inaccurate in the context of her teaching.

Conclusion

The correct answer, B, is definitively right as it directly aligns with the practice of removing the silent “e” when adding vowel suffixes. All other options either misrepresent the rule or apply it too broadly, failing to capture the specific focus of Ms. Thom’s spelling lesson.