Which of the following is an example of a true cognate?

• A. Pretender
• B. Exito
• C. Rodeo
• D. Segmento

Answer: (C)

A true cognate shares an origin in two languages and looks and means about the same thing. Rodeo fits perfectly: it’s spelled the same in English and Spanish and both languages use it to refer to the same idea of a rodeo event or round-up. That exact spelling and matching meaning make it a classic true cognate.

The other options don’t line up as neatly. Pretender can lead to confusion because its Spanish sense isn’t always the same as the English noun “pretender,” so the meanings aren’t aligned. Exito isn’t an English word on its own, so it isn’t a natural English-Spanish cognate pair. Segmento is very close in meaning to English “segment,” but the spelling isn’t the same in both languages, so it isn’t a true cognate in the strict sense.