English Language Arts: Word Roots (TEKS.ELA.9-12.2.C)

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Texas High School ELA › English Language Arts: Word Roots (TEKS.ELA.9-12.2.C)

Questions 1 - 10
1

During a drought in the Texas Hill Country, hydrogeologists surveyed the karst conduits of the Edwards Aquifer to model groundwater resilience. Their hydrology report contrasted hydrostatic equilibrium in deep saturated zones with rapid hydraulic flux near spring outlets. To prevent municipal dehydration, planners proposed an anhydrous cement liner for leaky canals and adjusted pumping schedules using regional hydrographs. The team noted that hydrophobic coatings on storage tanks reduced evaporative loss, while hydrophilic mineral surfaces in limestone enhanced infiltration. By tracing hydrogen isotopes, the study disentangled episodic recharge from chronic withdrawals. The hydrogeologic synthesis concluded that, without calibrated thresholds, emergency hydrants might fail during peak demand. Moreover, hydrodynamic models simulated seasonal hydroperiods, revealing how anthropogenic dewatering amplified drought intensity despite transient pluvial bursts. Stakeholders weighed constructing a hydropower microturbine at a spillway to offset costs, but the hydrometric record suggested insufficient head. Ultimately, a phased, hydrosensitive plan prioritized aquifer recharge over short-term extraction.

How does knowledge of the Greek root hydr/hydro help decode the meanings and relationships among the passage's technical terms?

Hydro refers to humidity, so all words describe air moisture; anhydrous means very humid.

Because de- means add and -tion means place, dehydration adds water to a location; hydrostatic means moving water quickly.

Hydro is about fluids generally; thus hydrophilic means oil-absorbing and hydrophobic means air-repelling.

The Greek root hydro/hydr means water; combined with prefixes/suffixes it specifies function: hydrology is the study of water systems, hydrostatic refers to water at rest (stat- stand), hydraulic to pressured water flow, dehydration is removal of water (de- away + -tion), anhydrous is without water (an- not + -ous), hydrograph records water levels (graph- write), and hydrophilic/hydrophobic mark attraction to or aversion to water—clarifying each term's role in the aquifer analysis.

Explanation

Correct: recognizing hydro/hydr as "water," and how affixes refine meaning (de-, an-, -graph, -static, -philic/-phobic), provides a systematic map to precise technical senses across the passage.

2

During a legislative review of Texas water policy, the committee examined jurisdictional disputes among river authorities and appellate courts. A senior jurist summarized the state's jurisprudence on prior appropriation, noting how judicial precedents constrain agencies that adjudicate competing claims. The report warned that perjury in permit hearings undermines due process, while clarifying that only courts with proper jurisdiction may issue injunctive relief. Because the judiciary must remain impartial, legislators proposed a remedial statute to codify justiciable standards and reduce forum shopping. Ultimately, the joint resolution reaffirmed judicial review as a check on administrative overreach. Members debated whether quasi-judicial boards exercise jurisdiction or merely recommend judgments, emphasizing that just causes must be articulated on the record. To avoid injurious delays, the judiciary scheduled expedited adjudication for cases affecting municipal supplies and irrigation districts across the Rio Grande basin. Even then, jurists cautioned that the corpus of jurisprudence requires incremental calibration rather than sweeping decrees.

Which analysis best explains how Latin roots clarify the legal terminology in the passage?

Latin jus/jur signals law or right, while judic- signals judge/decide; thus jurisdiction (juris + dicere) is the legal 'saying' or authority to speak law over a case; jurisprudence is knowledge of law; judiciary/-ial name the branch/acts of judging; adjudicate (ad- toward + judic-) means to formally judge; perjury (per- through + jur-) is false swearing under law. Knowing these roots clarifies why only proper courts can adjudicate disputes and punish perjury.

Because jur means jury and jud means justice, all the words refer to panels of citizens rather than courts or laws.

Perjury must relate to permanent judgment since per- means forever, and jurisdiction is the distance a court travels.

The roots are not helpful; only context reveals meaning in legal English, which is largely arbitrary.

Explanation

Correct: jus/jur ('law/right') and judic- ('judge/decide') combine with affixes (ad-, -ary, -ial, -ence) to form precise legal terms, showing how root knowledge illuminates institutional roles and processes.

3

At a Houston research consortium, cardiologists evaluated a novel therapy for cardiomyopathy intended to modulate pericardial mechanics and reduce tachycardia episodes. Cardiology fellows compared echocardiographic measures with metabolic panels to judge cardioprotective efficacy. When the pericardium stiffened, cardiac output fell, but a cardiotropic compound restored contractility without provoking arrhythmias. Investigators cautioned that noncardiac adverse events required monitoring, yet the cardiology team reported durable benefits in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy across multiple cohorts. The study's discussion emphasized how cardiology integrates physiology with pharmacology to address heart-specific pathology rather than systemic disorders. Subanalyses tracked cardiogenesis markers during recovery, while a cardiometer prototype quantified microchanges in stroke volume at rest and during exertion. Because pericardial adhesions impede diastolic filling, the team explored a biodegradable, cardiocompatible film to preserve pericardial glide. Future cardiology trials will stratify participants by cardiometabolic profiles to test whether the cardioprotective effect generalizes beyond the initial cohort. Cardiac safety prevailed.

How does recognizing the Greek root cardi-/cardio- help interpret the specialized vocabulary in this medical study?

Cardio refers to exercise routines, so cardioprotective means 'fitness-based' and cardiomyopathy is a workout plan.

Cardi- is Greek for heart; with affixes it refines meaning: pericardial (peri- around) denotes the tissue around the heart; cardiomyopathy (myo- muscle + -pathy disease) is heart-muscle disease; cardiotropic (trope/turning toward) acts on the heart; noncardiac excludes the heart; cardiogenesis marks heart formation; cardiometer measures heart output. The shared root ties the study's heart-focused interventions together.

Because -ology always means biology, cardiology replaces physiology and pharmacology in this study.

The prefix tachy- signals slowness, so tachycardia is unusually slow heart rate; pericardial indicates inside the heart chamber.

Explanation

Correct: cardi- 'heart' plus prefixes/suffixes (peri-, myo-, -pathy, -genesis, -meter, non-) systematically constrains each term's meaning, revealing how the vocabulary remains heart-focused across contexts.

4

In a work of literary criticism, the scholar mapped the novel's chronology, arguing that its anachronistic flashbacks disrupt naive linear reading but create a productive synchrony between past injustice and present action. Through a diachronic lens, the critic traced how recurring scenes re-chronicle a single event, each iteration reframing causality. The monograph contrasted chronological time with kairotic moments when the plot accelerates toward decisive thresholds. By foregrounding narrative temporality, the analysis showed how structural choices calibrate readers' sense of duration and contingency. Intercalated chapters compress weeks into a paragraph, then dilate a minute across pages, a choreography of time that forces retrospective inference. Such chronotopic design situates characters within social rhythms, while paratextual dates anchor the chronology even as anachrony reorders scenes. Ultimately, the critic contends that synchronizing disparate timelines allows the narrative to adjudicate moral claims across generations without pretending to a single, seamless chronicle. Chronometry remains deliberately unstable.

Which explanation best shows how knowledge of the Greek root chron- clarifies the passage's analytical vocabulary?

Chron means sequence, so any word with chron always indicates strict linear order, and synchrony forbids overlap between timelines.

An- in anachronistic means again, so anachronistic scenes are repeated in time; diachronic means diagonal structure rather than temporal analysis.

Greek chron- means time; attached to different prefixes it maps temporal relations: chronology orders events in time; anachronistic/anachrony (ana- back/against) place something out of its proper time; synchrony (syn- together) marks co-occurring times; diachronic (dia- through) traces change across time; chronicle/chronometry are records/measures of time. Recognizing these patterns explains how the critic analyzes narrative temporality.

The key root is log- 'word,' so chronology and chronicle are primarily about language rather than time.

Explanation

Correct: chron- 'time' plus prefixes (ana-, syn-, dia-) and suffixes (-logy/-icle, -metry) systematically map temporal structures, clarifying the critic's claims about narrative time.

5

In a recent report on the Permian Basin, a Texas stratigrapher compared stratigraphic columns to clarify how hydrocarbons migrate through stratified sandstones and shales. By mapping the substrata with high-resolution imagery, the team identified a superstratum of carbonate that functions as a cap, preventing vertical flow. The stratigraphy indicated that earlier depositional episodes produced cross-bedded strata, while later transgressions laid down finer laminations that further stratified the reservoir. When engineers simulated fluid injection, they predicted that permeability would vary along each stratum, not uniformly across the whole formation. This stratocentric approach replaced a prior model that treated the basin monolithically. Because the reservoir is polystratal, the geologists argued for selective perforations aligned to discrete layers, rather than indiscriminate fracking. Their recommendations depended on reading minute stratiform signals that would otherwise be lost in aggregate averages.

Which analysis best explains how knowledge of the Latin root strat- (layer) clarifies the meanings and relationships of key terms in the passage?

Because strat- means strategy, stratigraphy must be the planning phase of extraction, so the terms all refer to management decisions rather than rock formations.

Recognizing strat- as "layer" shows that stratigraphy is the description of layers, substrata are underlying layers, a superstratum is an overlying layer, and polystratal/stratiform describe many or layer-shaped features; prefixes like sub- and super- specify position, helping infer why a cap layer impedes vertical flow and why perforations target discrete layers.

Since strat- is related to struct- ("build"), the passage mainly catalogs built structures in the rock; prefixes do not change the base meaning.

Geo- means "earth," so any word with strat- simply means "about earth," while super- and sub- merely intensify the scientific tone rather than indicate spatial relationships.

Explanation

The correct answer shows how the Latin stratum ("layer") anchors meaning across stratigraphy, substrata, superstratum, polystratal, and stratiform, and how prefixes refine spatial relationships. This morphological knowledge enables precise interpretation of the geological analysis.

6

During a Texas Senate hearing on court reform, witnesses debated the state's jurisdictional labyrinth. One jurist proposed consolidating overlapping jurisdictions to reduce docket congestion, while a scholar of jurisprudence warned that such consolidation might render certain disputes nonjusticiable. The committee also considered penalties for perjury after a high-profile affidavit was found patently perjurious. Several attorneys adjured the legislature to clarify the oath procedure, arguing that jurats signed without comprehension undermine the justice system. A civil-rights advocate emphasized that corrective legislation should be narrowly tailored to preserve due process while justifying stronger sanctions against willful falsification. Throughout the testimony, speakers differentiated between jury fact-finding and judicial review, insisting that any reform respect both constitutional guarantees and the practical administration of justice.

How does understanding the Latin root jur-/jus- (law, right, oath) help interpret the legal vocabulary in the passage?

Jur-/jus- means "judge," so every term refers strictly to a judge's personal opinion; prefixes and suffixes do not affect meaning.

Jury, juridical, and jurisdiction are unrelated homophones; their meanings must be memorized individually, not derived from roots.

Per- is an intensifier, so perjury means "very lawful," and nonjusticiable means "extremely fair," which clarifies that reforms make cases more just.

Knowing jur-/jus- signals a network of law-related meanings: jurisdiction (authority to speak the law), jurisprudence (philosophy of law), perjury (false oath), adjure (to put under oath), jurat (oath certificate), justiciable (fit for adjudication), and justify (show as lawful). Prefixes like non- negate justiciability, refining precise legal distinctions.

Explanation

The correct analysis shows how jur-/jus- systematically connects legal terms and how prefixes/suffixes (non-, -able) nuance their meanings, enabling precise comprehension of the legal arguments.

7

At the Texas Medical Center, a multidisciplinary team traced the pathogenesis of a novel respiratory pathogen detected in coastal clinics after a hurricane. Pathologists correlated histopathology with patient outcomes to determine whether the infection would become chronic or remain episodic. The lead investigator cautioned that purely sympathetic bedside manner, while valuable, was not a substitute for empathetic listening that could surface subtle prodromal symptoms. Survey data revealed widespread apathy toward vaccination in certain neighborhoods, alongside growing antipathy fueled by misinformation. To counter pathogenic spread, the team piloted an antipathogenic protocol that combined rapid diagnostics with community education designed to transform passive attitudes into compassionate, evidence-based action. Their report concluded that integrating pathology, patient empathy, and public-health strategy was critical to interrupting the disease pathway before it entrenched itself in vulnerable populations.

Which interpretation best shows how the Greek root path- (suffering/feeling) unifies the scientific and interpersonal vocabulary in the passage?

Understanding path- as "suffering/feeling" links pathology/pathogen/pathogenesis (disease process) with empathy/sympathy/apathy/antipathy (emotional stance). Prefixes shift meaning: anti- opposes (antipathogenic), a- negates (apathy), and em- indicates "in/into" shared feeling (empathy), clarifying how scientific and human responses interact.

Path- means "road," so pathogenesis is the route a virus takes, while empathy and antipathy are unrelated figurative uses that have to be learned separately.

Because path- is about "foot," pathology concerns foot disorders, and the emotional terms are coincidences that do not inform comprehension of the medical findings.

Suffixes alone determine meaning, so -ology always means treatment and -genesis always means cure; prefixes like anti- are ornamental and do not change the base sense.

Explanation

The correct choice shows how one Greek root underlies both disease-related and emotion-related terms and how prefixes systematically modify meaning, enabling readers to connect medical mechanisms with human factors.

8

In a seminar on Southwestern literature, a critic advanced a diachronic reading of a border novel that interweaves ranch histories with present-day tech startups. The narrative's embedded chronicle of cattle drives appears alongside a deliberately anachronistic scene in which a character checks satellite weather on a wind-up radio, creating temporal dissonance. Editors praised the author's deft control of chronology, noting how chapter breaks synchronize distant events without sacrificing regional detail. A chronometric subplot—time kept by a tower clock reset after a storm—quietly measures recovery, while chronic drought in the background tests characters' endurance. By staging asynchronous encounters across generations, the book invites readers to compare what persists and what expires in the long arc of Texas modernization.

How does recognizing the Greek root chron- (time) help a reader interpret the critical terms and their relationships in the passage?

Chron- signals color, so anachronistic and chronic describe the novel's vivid chromatic palette rather than its temporal structure.

Because -ic means "time-related," any word ending in -ic in the passage must refer to timing; the base root does not matter.

Chron- anchors a time network: diachronic (across time), chronicle (time-ordered account), anachronistic (out of its proper time), chronology (time sequence), synchronize (same time), chronometric (measuring time), chronic (lasting over time), and asynchronous (not at the same time). Prefixes (dia-, ana-, syn-, a-) refine the temporal relationships.

These terms are idiomatic; their meanings cannot be inferred from roots and must be memorized in isolation from one another.

Explanation

The correct answer shows how chron- systematically organizes meanings around time and how prefixes specify relationships, enabling readers to interpret literary-critical claims about temporal structure.

9

In a report on the Permian Basin, geologists synthesized stratigraphic logs to reconstruct the region's lithology. Through stratigraphy—the layered reading of rock strata—they correlated cores across counties, aligning geochronology with fossil assemblages. Petrographic analyses distinguished lithified carbonate facies from siliciclastic interbeds, while geophysical surveys refined structural geometry along tectonic lineaments. By integrating geomorphology with subsurface stratification, the team inferred transgressive–regressive cycles that orchestrated reservoir porosity. Their stratigraphic correlation depended on precise chronostratigraphic markers, not mere surface geography: microfossils, isotope ratios, and sequence boundaries anchored the geologic timeline. As a result, the synthesis resolved ambiguities in earlier lithostratigraphic maps, delineating productive horizons and mitigating drilling risk. Ultimately, the geoscientists' methodology demonstrated how recurring stratiform patterns signal depositional processes operating at different temporal scales.

Which analysis best explains how knowledge of Greek roots clarifies the meanings and relationships among stratigraphy, geochronology, and lithostratigraphic in the passage?

Because graph means writing, stratigraphy and geochronology are simply kinds of writing, so their meanings do not depend on geo-, chrono-, or litho- at all.

Litho- means light, so lithostratigraphic maps are about lighter-colored layers rather than rock type; stratigraphy and geochronology are unrelated.

Strat- means layer, geo- means earth, litho- means stone/rock, and chrono- means time; thus stratigraphy is the study/description of earth's layered rocks, geochronology dates earth events, and lithostratigraphic classification groups layers by rock type—explaining why time markers help correlate rock layers across sites.

Geo- always means surface geography, so geochronology is surface mapping of time; stratigraphy and lithostratigraphy then must be maps of locations, not layers.

Explanation

Recognizing strat- (layer), geo- (earth), litho- (rock), and chrono- (time), plus the combining form -graphy (study/description), allows readers to infer precise meanings and see how time-based evidence supports correlations among layered rock units. Root knowledge reveals systematic morphological relationships that enhance comprehension.

10

In a constitutional dispute, the court assessed whether the legislature exceeded its delegated authority under the state charter. The opinion surveyed jurisprudence on jurisdiction and justiciability, contrasting legislative intent with judicial review. The majority found the statute ultra vires, noting its operative clause contradicted prior dicta and could not be reconciled with a clear verdict in precedent. The court emphasized that credibility determinations belong to the trier of fact, yet verification of statutory text is a judicial function. Although the legislature proclaimed a remedial purpose, the judiciary retained the prerogative to invalidate provisions that impermissibly abridge due process. Earlier edicts and an agency interdict had persuasive force but no binding authority, reinforcing that pronouncements must align with constitutional limits.

How does understanding Latin roots illuminate the relationships among jurisprudence, jurisdiction, legislature, dicta, verdict, and verification in the passage?

Jur- relates to law (jurisprudence, jurisdiction), leg- to lawmaking (legislature), dict- to speaking/proclaiming (dicta), and ver- to truth (verdict, verification), showing how statements about the law (dicta) differ from truth-judgments (verdict) within a lawful forum (jurisdiction).

Ver- signals law, so verification and verdict are both acts of legislating truth; jur- is about oaths, making jurisdiction chiefly about promises.

Dicta must be binding because dict- means dictionary, proving that legislative definitions control all judicial outcomes.

Root meanings are irrelevant here; only the context of the case explains how these terms relate, not their morphology.

Explanation

Jur- (law), leg- (law/making), dict- (to say/proclaim), and ver- (truth) reveal how legal institutions (jurisdiction, legislature) interact with types of statements (dicta) and truth-assessments (verdict, verification). Root knowledge clarifies precise functions within legal analysis.

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