Synonyms: Prefixes from Latin

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ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning › Synonyms: Prefixes from Latin

Questions 1 - 10
1

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

ENSNARE

Trap

Fulfill

Germinate

Obstruct

Baffle

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.

2

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

IMPARTIAL

Equitable

Poignant

Superfluous

Discrete

Comprehensive

Explanation

Because "impartial" means treating all sides equally; fair and just, the best answer choice is "equitable," which means fair and impartial.

3

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

IMPOSE

Force

Inquire

Place

Rest

Overcome

Explanation

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.

4

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

PRETENTIOUS

Ostentatious

Unreal

Ephemeral

Illusory

Fictitious

Explanation

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.

5

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

PROCRASTINATE

Delay

Mindless

Pain

Ignore

Loaf

Explanation

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.”

6

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

RELINQUISH

Renounce

Vanish

Destroy

Overcome

Reiterate

Explanation

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.”

7

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

INGRESS

Entryway

Interior

Private

Insult

Discredit

Explanation

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.”

8

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

CONVIVIAL

Sociable

Intoxicated

Skipping

Roaring

Audible

Explanation

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.

9

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

EMIGRATE

Relocate

Settle

Travel

Sequester

Abscond

Explanation

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.”

10

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

EQUANIMITY

Composure

Immorality

Ambiguity

Assimilation

Sentiment

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.

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