The correct answer is: C. nominal rate
The nominal rate is the annual rate of interest that is stated on a loan or investment. It is also called the simple interest rate. The nominal rate is divided by the number of compounding periods in a year to calculate the periodic rate. For example, if the nominal rate is 10% and the compounding period is semi-annual, then the periodic rate is 5%.
The annuity return is the total amount of money that an annuity will pay out over its lifetime. The deferred annuity return is the total amount of money that a deferred annuity will pay out after a certain period of time. The semi-annual discount rate is the interest rate that is used to calculate the present value of a future sum of money that is paid semi-annually.
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