SSAT Upper Level Verbal : Synonyms: Prefixes from Latin

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : Synonyms

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

COALESCE

Possible Answers:

Recover

Fossilize

Unite

Uncover

Heal

Correct answer:

Unite

Explanation:

Among these options, “heal” and “recover” are attempting to get you to confuse this word with “convalesce,” which means to recover or to regain strength. The word “coalesce” comes from the prefix “co-,” meaning together or with, and “-alesce,” which is derived from the Latin for to nourish or to grow up. When things “coalesce,” they come together, forming a larger whole. For instance, one could say, “All of the ingredients cooked down and coalesced into a single, homogeneous stew.” The word “adolescence” means a stage of growing to maturity, and is related to the word “coalesce.”

Example Question #12 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms

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

EXHUME

Possible Answers:

Unearth

Bury

Sepulcher

Enliven

Replace

Correct answer:

Unearth

Explanation:

The word “exhume” literally means to take out of the earth. The “-hume” portion of the word is the same as that which is found in “humility.” It comes from the Latin for ground or dirt. “Humility” is a disposition that makes one feel “lowly.” When combined with the prefix “ex-”, this root word makes the expression out of the earth.

Example Question #11 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms

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

INVULNERABLE

Possible Answers:

Rugged

Invincible

Presumptuous

Enervated

Victorious

Correct answer:

Invincible

Explanation:

The word “vulnerable” comes from the Latin for wound. With the “-able” prefix, it would mean able to be wounded. Therefore, when someone is “in-vulnerable,” he or she is not able to be wounded. The word “invincible” does not necessarily pertain to wounds, but it does mean unable to be conquered. You may have heard of the famous line attributed to Julius Caesar: “Veni, vidi, vici,” “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The last word, “vici,” is a form of “vincere,” meaning, to conquer. To be “invincible,” is thus to be “un-conquerable.”

Example Question #1 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms

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

EXCLAIM

Possible Answers:

Berate

Interrupt

Shout

Opine

Swear

Correct answer:

Shout

Explanation:

The word “exclaim” literally means to shout out. The “ex-” prefix is likely familiar, being taken from the Latin for out or out of. The “-claim” portion is related to words like “clamor” and “proclaim.” It comes from the Latin for to call in the sense of to call out. When someone “exclaims” something, he or she shouts it out, often in anger or surprise. For instance, upon unexpectedly discovering an answer, one might exclaim, “Eureka!”

Example Question #12 : Synonyms: Prefixes From Latin

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

AMBIVALENT

Possible Answers:

Undecided

Menacing

Migratory

Enthusiastic

Callous

Correct answer:

Undecided

Explanation:

Ambivalent means being unable to choose between two options. The correct answer choice is undecided.  The prefix "ambi" means both, and the root "val" refers to strength.  

Example Question #13 : Synonyms: Prefixes From Latin

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

SUPERFLUOUS

Possible Answers:

Damaging

Extra

Superficial

Quiet

Common

Correct answer:

Extra

Explanation:

Superfluous means beyond what is needed or an overabundance.  Thus, the correct answer is extra.  The prefix 'super' means over.  

Example Question #61 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms

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

PRESAGE

Possible Answers:

Precocious

Wise

Adorable

Prodigious

Foreshadow

Correct answer:

Foreshadow

Explanation:

When used as a verb, the word “presage” means to be a sign of a future event, often implying that this is a sign of warning. The word comes from the prefix “pre-”, meaning before, and the base “sage,” which does not merely mean wise, but to perceive keenly. Someone who is “sagacious” is wise precisely because that person keenly perceives reality. The word would be used in a sentence like, “In many cultures, the flying of a crow over a barn presaged a poor harvest in the coming year.”

Example Question #42 : Synonyms: Roots

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

DIFFUSE

Possible Answers:

Scattered

Disagreeable

Dissimilar

Irregular

Variant

Correct answer:

Scattered

Explanation:

The word “diffuse” comes from roots that literally mean poured away from. The “di-” prefix means away from or down from, and the “-fuse” means to pour. This latter is found in words like “infuse” (meaning, literally, to pour into) and “effusive” (meaning pouring out, implying that someone “pours out” a great amount of something like praise). As a verb, the word “diffuse” means to scatter or to spread out, as when one diffuses a smell into a room or when an idea diffuses through an entire population. The word can likewise be used as an adjective, basically having the meaning of the past participle of the word, namely “scattered.”

Example Question #14 : Synonyms: Prefixes From Latin

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

PRECLUDE

Possible Answers:

Attend

Scan

Stop

Pester

Cooperate

Correct answer:

Stop

Explanation:

To "preclude" something is to stop it from happening. The prefix "pre-" means before, and the root word, "clud," means to close or to shut

Example Question #12 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms

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

EQUIVOCAL

Possible Answers:

Necessary

Nauseous

Adorned

Fair

Ambiguous

Correct answer:

Ambiguous

Explanation:

"Equivocal" means ambiguous or allowing the possibility of different meanings. The prefix "equi-" means equal.

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