ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning › Synonyms: Prefixes from Latin
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ENSNARE
Trap
Fulfill
Germinate
Obstruct
Baffle
"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.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMPARTIAL
Equitable
Poignant
Superfluous
Discrete
Comprehensive
Because "impartial" means treating all sides equally; fair and just, the best answer choice is "equitable," which means fair and impartial.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMPOSE
Force
Inquire
Place
Rest
Overcome
For this word, there are two parts that are helpful in coming up with a general meaning of the word, though you must be careful. The “im-” prefix is really the form of “in,” though it changes here because of the way we pronounce “n” when it is followed by “p.” Sometimes “in” can also mean on when used as a prefix. The “-pose” is related to “position,” here meaning something like to place; therefore, we can think of “impose" as being to place upon. Now, to force someone to do something is to place something on them (or to “foist” it on them). It should be noted that “impose” does add an additional shade meaning implying that this imposing is also something of an infliction or a penalty.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PRETENTIOUS
Ostentatious
Unreal
Ephemeral
Illusory
Fictitious
Although the word “pretentious” is related to the word “pretend,” do not be fooled. “Pretend” literally means to stretch forward in the sense of taking or claiming something. The “-tend” means stretch, as is found in “extend.” The “pre-” does not mean before in a temporal sense but instead in the physical sense—e.g. “he stood before the magistrate.” When someone is pretentious, he or she claims to be something that he or she is not, often doing so with much fanfare to draw attention. The word “ostentatious” means much the same, itself being derived from Latin roots meaning to stretch out to show.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PROCRASTINATE
Delay
Mindless
Pain
Ignore
Loaf
You likely know the word “procrastinate” as an insult or as a panicked word when you have put off your work and find a deadline quickly approaching. The word literally means “to put off until tomorrow.” The prefix “pro-” means “forward or toward,” and the “-cras-” portion of the word comes from the Latin for tomorrow. Note that this is not the same as the “crass” that means “unrefined or rude.” One can fairly say that “to procrastinate” is “to delay.”
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
RELINQUISH
Renounce
Vanish
Destroy
Overcome
Reiterate
The word relinquish is composed of the prefix “re-”, which here merely strengthens the sense of the base, and a base meaning “to leave or abandon.” The latter is related to words like “derelict,” “dereliction,” and “reliquary.” To “relinquish” something is to give it up freely. The word “renounce” means “to announce the abandonment of something.”
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
INGRESS
Entryway
Interior
Private
Insult
Discredit
The word “ingress” is perhaps a bit strange looking, but you can infer its meaning from two relatively well known bases. The prefix “in-” merely means in or into. While the “-gress” may seem unknown, think of words like “progress” or “digress.” The “-gress” in these words comes from the Latin word for to step. The words “grade” and “gradual” both come from this same base. Literally speaking, an “ingress” is a “going in” or—more appropriate for our word choices—the means of going in. For this reason, it often means merely “door,” “entrance,” or “entryway.”
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CONVIVIAL
Sociable
Intoxicated
Skipping
Roaring
Audible
The word “convivial” literally means “living with.” It is derived from the prefix “con-”, meaning “with” and the base “-vivial,” which is related to a cluster of words signifying life or living such as “vivacious,” “survive,” and “revive.” When someone is “convivial,” he or she is friendly or sociable. It is this latter sense that is found among the possible answers.
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EMIGRATE
Relocate
Settle
Travel
Sequester
Abscond
The word “migrate” is derived from the Latin root word for “to move or transport.” In the case of “emigrate,” the prefix “e-” is a form of “ex,” meaning “out of”; therefore, the word means “to move out of.” Emigrants are those persons who leave a country. Among the options given, the only one that matches this general sense is “relocate.” “Travel” does not necessarily signify the idea of leaving a country in order to relocate somewhere else. Do not confuse this word with “immigrate,” which means “to move into.” The same person can be an “immigrant” and an “emigrant.” He or she is called an “immigrant” when referring to the nation into which he or she is coming—e.g. “He immigrated into the United States after years of oppression.” The same person is said to “emigrate” with reference to the country that he or she had left—e.g. “He emigrated from his native country because of the dire oppression.”
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EQUANIMITY
Composure
Immorality
Ambiguity
Assimilation
Sentiment
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.