Select the option that rectifies the underlined incorrectly spelt word in the…

Concept

In English, when a verb already ends in a silent e, the past tense is formed by adding only the suffix -d, not -ed, because the e is already present (for example, argue -> argued, continue -> continued, value -> valued). Verbs built on an -ique base, such as critique, follow the same convention: critique + d = critiqued, with the qu of the base kept intact.

Application

1. Identify the intended base verb behind the underlined word: critique (to evaluate critically), which ends in a silent e and contains the sequence q-u just before that e.

2. Apply the silent-e past-tense rule to this base: since critique already ends in e, only -d is added, giving critique + d = critiqued.

3. Compare this with the underlined spelling critikued, which replaces the qu of the base with a k, so the base itself is misspelled before any suffix is added.

4. Restoring the base to critique and adding the same -d suffix gives the properly spelled word critiqued.

Cross-check

The same silent-e-plus-d pattern appears in other common verbs: argue -> argued, continue -> continued, value -> valued. This confirms that critique -> critiqued is a regular application of the rule rather than an exception.

Distinguishing the options

• critiqued keeps the base critique intact and adds only -d after its existing silent e.

• critiqueed inserts an extra e between the base's existing e and the suffix, giving a doubled e that the silent-e rule does not call for.

• criticed omits the qu found in critique and instead builds on the root critic together with the suffix -ed, changing the base word itself.

• cretiqued changes the first-syllable vowel of the base from i to e, altering the root morpheme before any suffix is applied.