Do not confuse “theist” with “atheist.” The “theist” base found in the latter word means “one believing in God or gods.”

It is derived from the Greek for “god,” though it is also related to a very similar set of Latin roots for the same notions pertaining to God. It can be found in words like “theology” (the study of God) as well as “pantheism” (the belief that all things in the world are identical with God). The Latin relatives change the “th” into a “d,” as found in words like “deify” and “deism.” Among the options given, “believer” is the closest that one can find.

The word “lexicon” comes from the Greek word for “word.” When someone is “dyslexic,” he or she has problems interpreting words. (The “dys-” prefix means “bad or difficult”). The word “lexicon” might mean the general vocabulary of a person, as when we say, “The expression ‘active potency’ is not in the general lexicon of the ‘man on the street.’” Likewise, the word lexicon can mean “dictionary”—a book of words.

When a person is “cosmopolitan,” he or she is at ease in any culture in the world. The word itself is derived from Greek roots with which you are likely familiar. The “cosmo-” portion comes from the Greek for “world or order.” The “-politan” is related to meanings like “city” and “citizen.” You have experienced this word in “politics” and “politician.” Someone who is “cosmopolitan” is “a citizen of the world.”

The word “sophistry” is related to the word for wisdom, Sophia, which is found in words like “sophisticated” and “philosophy,” but it is not here used in a positive sense whatsoever. Sophistry conveys the idea that someone is using reasoning in a manner that is not truly honest or correct in order to make misleading arguments. A “fallacy” in logic is a mistake (either intended or unintended) that causes the reasoning to end in an incorrect conclusion. Among the options provided, this is the only word that approaches the meaning of “sophistry.”

The prefix "di-" means two, so a "dilemma" is a problem with two possible solutions, neither of them optimal, or a "quandary." As for the other answer choices, “brevity” means conciseness, economy of language; “commentary” means discussion presenting individuals' opinions about some situation or thing; “despondency” means hopelessness and sadness; and "perpetuation" is the act of making something (often something bad) continue to exist.

The prefix "eu-" means good and "-phon-" means sound, so it makes sense that “euphonious” means sounding nice, mellow, and sweet, or "pleasant-sounding." As for the other answer choices, “harsh” means unpleasant, rough and grating; “discordant” means disagreeing or contradictory; “sensual” means relating to, or pleasing to, the senses; and “superfluous” means nonessential.

The word "egalitarian" comes from roots meaning equal. When a society is egalitarian, it treats all of its members as equals and tries to acknowledge this. The best option among those provided here is "democratic." This does not have to do directly with the current American political party that goes by this name. Instead, "democratic" is based on a particular Greek notion of one kind of government that bases itself on the equality of all the people. None of the other options express this kind of egalitarianism.

The word "dynamic" comes from the Greek word for power. Think of dynamite, which creates a very powerful explosion. Now, the primary meaning of "dynamic" in English is energetic or having much energy or vitality. Thus, the word "vigorous" is the best option among those provided, for it means having much energy. While we might think of dynamic people as being "successful," "effective," and perhaps even "stupendous," these are not the immediate meanings of "dynamic."

There are two relevant roots in "hypothermic." The Greek prefix hypo- means under, having too little of and the root -therm- means related to temperature. So, "hypothermic" means (of the body) very cold, freezing. Additionally, "arid" means dry; "moist" means wet; "infected" means sick with; "stifling" means uncomfortably hot.

The Greek root -lex- means word, read, write, as in "lexicon," which means vocabulary. So, "alexia" means the loss of the ability to write. This is closest in meaning to "illiteracy," which means the inability to read and write. Additionally, "infamy" and "notoriety" both mean the quality of being famous for the wrong reasons; "polygamy" is the practice of having more than one spouse or partner; "capacity" means ability.