ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots to Identify Synonyms

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Upper Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PRESAGE

Possible Answers:

Emerge

Emulate

Augur

Embroil

Refute

Correct answer:

Augur

Explanation:

"Presage" and "augur" both mean to predict or have a feeling. "Embroil" means to involve in a dispute or complicate. "Emerge" means to come out or arise. "Emulate" means to copy the actions of"Refute" means to prove false or discredit.

Example Question #32 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

INDOLENT

Possible Answers:

Permissive

Sheepish

Reserved

Lazy

Arrogant

Correct answer:

Lazy

Explanation:

"Indolent" originally meant lacking or avoiding pain (IN-negating) + (DOLENT- from a Latin word for pain), but it came more commonly to refer to a desire to avoid any kind of exertion. Make sure you don't confuse it with "insolent" (rude and disrespectful) or "indulgent" (lenient and permissive).

Example Question #33 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ENSNARE

Possible Answers:

Germinate

Baffle

Fulfill

Obstruct

Trap

Correct answer:

Trap

Explanation:

"Ensnare" means to capture or to trap. "Fulfill" means to satisfy or complete a task or goal. "Germinate" means to grow. "Obstruct" means to block or prevent something from getting through. "Baffle" means to confuse.

Example Question #34 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

EDICT

Possible Answers:

Law

Statute

Proclamation

Scroll

Discussion

Correct answer:

Proclamation

Explanation:

The word “edict” comes from the prefix “e-” meaning “out or out of” and “-dict,” which means “to say or speak.” The latter is found in many words like “diction,” “dictate,” “dictionary,” and “benediction” (as well as many, many others). “Edict” thus literally means “something spoken out.” The sense of this “out” is that the thing is proclaimed, particularly by one in authority. For this reason, the option “proclamation” is the best option among those provided.

Example Question #35 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PRESCRIBE

Possible Answers:

Prerelease

Forbid

Medicate

Recommend

Copy

Correct answer:

Recommend

Explanation:

The word “prescribe” distantly comes from the Latin meaning “to write out ahead of time.” (The “scribe” portion of the word comes from the Latin for “to write.”) We often use the word in medical contexts, when a doctor recommends (and authorizes) the usage of a given medicine. It is so used because of its general meaning of “recommend.” Do not confuse this with “proscribe,” which means “to forbid” (generally by law).

Example Question #36 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

INFUSE

Possible Answers:

Compel

Introduce

Shoot

Bewilder

Fill

Correct answer:

Fill

Explanation:

The word “infuse” is derived from the obvious prefix “in-”, which here means just that—“in”—and the base “-fuse,” which is derived from the Latin for “to pour.” Someone “infuses” one thing with another when the latter is added to the former. More strictly speaking, the word implies that one thing fills another, as when someone’s thought is said to be “infused with their pains and agonies.” Still, the word can also mean “to add or instill into.” The former is the meaning implied by the options provided in the answers, as “fill” is the only acceptable answer among them.

Example Question #37 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

EQUANIMITY

Possible Answers:

Assimilation

Immorality

Composure

Sentiment

Ambiguity

Correct answer:

Composure

Explanation:

The root "equ" in "equanimity" means equal, and "anima" is the Latin term for soul or spirit, so it makes sense that “equanimity” means evenness of temper, calm, or "composure." “Immorality” is wickedness, immoral actions, or depravity; “ambiguity” is uncertainty or vagueness of meaning; “assimilation” means the act of absorbing something new, like information or the act of taking on characteristics of a different culture in which one is living; and “sentiment” means feeling.

Example Question #38 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

EXTROVERTED

Possible Answers:

Calculating

Radical

Outgoing

Reserved

Precocious

Correct answer:

Outgoing

Explanation:

The prefix "extro-" means outside, so it makes sense that “extroverted” means outgoing and gregarious. As for the other answer choices, "reserved" means shy and inhibited or unavailable because something is being kept for someone specific; “calculating” means cunning, ruthless, crafty, and shrewd; “radical” means holding or supporting extreme reform; and "precocious" means developing and learning at an advanced rate.

Example Question #39 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

DEFUNCT

Possible Answers:

Inoperative

Disorderly

Hampered

Suppressed

Considerate

Correct answer:

Inoperative

Explanation:

The prefix "de-" can mean away or remove, and the rest of the word, "-funct," is related to the Latin term meaning work (think of the English word "function"). It thus makes sense that "defunct" means no longer working or "inoperative." As for the other answer choices, "suppressed” means held down, repressed, or crushed; “disorderly” means out of control; “hampered” means impeded, obstructed, or slowed down; and "considerate" means thinking of other people's feelings when making decisions or deciding how to act.

Example Question #40 : Synonyms: Prefixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CONSTITUTE

Possible Answers:

sign

decriminalize

establish

oversee

legalize

Correct answer:

establish

Explanation:

The word “constitute” is comprised of two parts that you likely know. The prefix “con-” means “with” and is found in “concur” as well as in the related “cum-” form in “cumulative” and the “com-” form in “commune.” The “-stitute” comes from the Latin for “to stand” or “to set up.” The United States “Constitution” is so named because it “sets up” the whole nation out of the parts from which it is “constituted.” The word can also mean “to be a part out of a whole,” as in, “The small group constituted a minority in the larger society.”

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