Question:medium

The patient’s death was the result of sheer ________ on the part of the surgeon.

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To remember “negligence,” note the root word “neglect” and replace the “t” with “-ence” to form the noun.
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
  • negligience
  • negligence
  • negligennce
  • neglegence
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The Correct Option is B

Approach Solution - 1

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question tests the correct spelling of a legal and medical term describing a failure to take proper care. Getting the root and ending right is the key to spotting the correct option among near-identical choices.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Break the word into the root "neglig-" and the ending "-ence," then check each option to see whether a letter has been inserted, doubled, dropped, or swapped anywhere in that structure.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
"Negligience" wrongly inserts an extra "i" before "ence." "Negligennce" wrongly doubles the "n" in the ending. "Neglegence" wrongly changes the "i" in the root to an "e," altering "neglig-" into "negleg-," which is not a real root. Only "negligence" keeps the root "neglig-" and the ending "-ence" exactly as they appear in the standard dictionary form, describing a breach of duty that causes harm.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The correct spelling is negligence, so option B is correct.
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Approach Solution -2

Many English nouns ending in "-ence" are built by taking an adjective ending in "-ent" and swapping that ending for "-ence", as in "different" becoming "difference" and "confident" becoming "confidence". Applying that same swap to "negligent" is a reliable way to check this spelling.

  1. Negligience: Swapping "-ent" for "-ence" on "negligent" gives "negligence", not "negligience", so the extra "i" here does not come from this standard pattern.
  2. Negligence: This is exactly what results from taking "negligent" and swapping "-ent" for "-ence", matching the same pattern seen in "different"/"difference".
  3. Negligennce: The adjective "negligent" has only a single "n" before its ending, so this doubled version does not come from the standard swap either.
  4. Neglegence: This changes the vowel in the root itself, moving away from "negligent" entirely rather than simply swapping its ending.

Applying the same "-ent" to "-ence" swap used across many English words to "negligent" produces exactly one of the four spellings offered, describing the surgeon's failure to take proper care that led to the patient's death.

Therefore, the correct answer is negligence.

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