The word in capital letters has the emphatic stress. Choose the option that best fits the expression in the sentence.
He travelled ONLY 20 kilometres before his car stopped.
A
Did he travel only 20 kilometres after his car stopped?
B
Did he travel exactly 20 kilometres before his car stopped?
C
Did you walk only 20 kilometres before the vehicle stopped?
D
Did he travel more than 20 kilometres before his car stopped?
Verified Correct Answer: D.
Grammar & Contextual Explanation
Emphatic stress is the placement of greater stress on a particular word or syllable in an utterance. This is done for emphasis or clarification. Stress is placed on the ONLY in the response given because it is meant to clarify an error made by the person who asked the question. The person had assumed that the person being discussed had travelled "more than" 20 kilometres before his car stopped, but he had actually travelled "only" 20 kilometres.
Q: Did he travel more than 20 kilometres before his car stopped?
A: No. He travelled ONLY 20 kilometres before his car stopped.
Source: Myschool Past Questions Archive (Record #11637)