Greek and Latin Roots Lesson Test

Answer: D

Correct answer: relating to heat inside the earth. Split geothermal into geo- (earth) and therm- (heat). Together they describe heat found within the earth, as in geothermal energy.

• A: Water would point to hydro- or aqua-, not to geo- and therm-.
• B: This describes geology; it uses geo- but leaves out the heat idea that therm- adds.
• C: Sunlight would point to a light or solar root; therm- here means heat and geo- places it in the earth.
• D (correct): Geo- means earth and therm- means heat, so the word describes heat that comes from within the earth.

Answer: D

Correct answer: able to be heard. Aud- relates to hearing and -ible means able to be. A barely audible message could only just be heard.

• A: Being seen points to vis- or vid-, not aud-, which concerns hearing.
• B: The word describes whether a sound reaches the ear, not how carefully someone pronounced it.
• C: A barely audible message is faint, so loud does not fit; audible only says the sound can be heard.
• D (correct): Aud- means hear and -ible means able to be, so audible means capable of being heard.

Answer: A

Correct answer: kindly. Bene- signals good or well. A benevolent person has goodwill toward others, which makes kindly the best synonym.

• A (correct): Bene- means well, and a benevolent person wishes others well, so kindly is the closest match.
• B: Wealth is about money, not about wishing others well.
• C: Profitable describes earning money; the word only looks related because bene- can suggest a benefit.
• D: Hostile is near the opposite; it matches malevolent, which uses mal- for bad.

Answer: B

Correct answer: active at night. Latin noct- means night. Nocturnal animals are active after dark, which fits owls that rest in the daytime.

• A: Living alone is a different trait; the root noct- points to night.
• B (correct): Noct- means night, and the sentence contrasts night hunting with resting during the day.
• C: Skill is not part of the word; noct- tells when the animal is active.
• D: Owls may hunt silently, but noct- refers to night, not to sound level.

Answer: B

Correct answer: easily carried. Port- means carry and -able means able to be. A portable generator is one that can be moved from place to place easily.

• A: The power source is not described by the word; port- concerns carrying.
• B (correct): Port- means carry and -able means able to be, so a portable generator can be carried or moved easily.
• C: Power output is a different property; nothing in port- or -able suggests strength.
• D: This is close to the opposite, since a portable item is meant to be moved.

Answer: A

Correct answer: arranged in time order. Chron- is time, and -logical makes an adjective. A chronological list puts events in the order they occurred.

• A (correct): Chron- means time, and chronological describes events placed in the order they happened.
• B: Age is related to time, but chronological describes the order of events, not how old something is.
• C: Ranking by importance is a different ordering; chron- points to time.
• D: Alphabetical order uses letters, not the time sequence that chron- signals.

Answer: A

Correct answer: believable. Cred- means believe and -ible means able to be. A credible account is believable, while credulous describes someone who believes too easily.

• A (correct): Cred- relates to belief and -ible means able to be, so a credible account can be believed.
• B: This describes a credulous person; credible describes a claim that deserves belief.
• C: Length has nothing to do with cred-, which concerns belief.
• D: Being in writing would suggest a scrib or script word, not cred-.

Answer: B

Correct answer: examines closely. Spect relates to looking. A crew chief who inspects the landing gear examines it closely for problems, which is more exact than simply watching it.

• A: This fits a spectator better; inspect means a careful, purposeful look.
• B (correct): Spect means look, and inspect means to look carefully at something to check its condition.
• C: Replacing a part is a different action; spect points to looking, not swapping.
• D: Repairing is a separate job that may follow an inspection; the word itself means looking closely.

Answer: D

Correct answer: withdrew. Re- (back) plus tract (draw) gives draw back. For a statement, that means withdrawing the claim, especially after errors were found.

• A: Repeating a statement keeps it in force, the opposite of taking it back.
• B: Dragging is the literal pulling sense of tract; a statement cannot be physically pulled.
• C: Expanding adds to the claim, but a retraction removes it.
• D (correct): Re- means back and tract means draw, and retracting a statement means taking it back.

Answer: C

Correct answer: broke in on. Inter- (between) plus rupt (break) means to break into an ongoing activity. The alarm broke in on the briefing, halting it.

• A: Rupt means break or burst, but an alarm does not blow up a briefing; that is the erupt or rupture sense.
• B: The briefing was already under way; the alarm broke it off rather than began it.
• C (correct): Inter- means between and rupt means break, so the alarm broke into the briefing and stopped it for a time.
• D: Making something longer is not the core idea; rupt signals a break.

Answer: A

Correct answer: transmits. Duc/duct means lead. In a sentence about copper and electricity, conducts means lets the current pass through, so transmits is closest.

• A (correct): When a material conducts electricity, it carries or passes the current along, so transmits fits.
• B: Blocking current describes an insulator, the opposite of a good conductor.
• C: Commanding a group is another sense of conduct, but it does not fit a metal and electricity.
• D: Copper does not make electricity; it lets electricity pass through it.

Answer: C

Correct answer: lacking water. Hydr means water and de- means remove. Dehydrated recruits have lost water their bodies need.

• A: Needing food is hunger, which concerns food, not water.
• B: Sunburn is skin damage from sunlight, which the root hydr- does not describe.
• C (correct): De- means remove and hydr means water, so dehydrated means having lost needed water.
• D: Heat is mentioned in the sentence, but heat would point to therm-, not hydr-.

Answer: B

Correct answer: written record. Trans- (across, to another form) plus script (write) describes turning speech into text. A transcription of a call is a written record of what was said.

• A: Translating changes the language; transcribing keeps the same words but puts them in writing.
• B (correct): Script means write and trans- suggests changing form, so a transcription is spoken words put into writing.
• C: An audio copy would still be sound; the script root shows the result is written.
• D: An interpretation explains meaning or intent; a transcription only records what was said.

Answer: C

Correct answer: understanding of feelings. Path- relates to feeling. In a sentence about a counselor and a grieving family, empathy means understanding their feelings.

• A: Indifference to others is the opposite of the concern a counselor shows here.
• B: Path- appears in medical words like pathology, but context about a grieving family calls for the emotional sense.
• C (correct): Path- relates to feeling, and empathy means understanding and sharing another person's feelings.
• D: Strong dislike is antipathy, which uses the same path- root but a different prefix.

Answer: D

Correct answer: unable to believe. In- (not) plus cred- (believe) gives not believing. Maria's request to see the results confirms she found the news hard to believe.

• A: This describes credulous; the in- prefix reverses it, and Maria wanted proof.
• B: Believable describes a claim (credible), not a person's reaction to one.
• C: She may later be grateful, but asking to check the results shows disbelief.
• D (correct): In- means not and cred- means believe, and asking to see proof shows she could not believe the news.

Answer: C

Correct answer: equally far from. Equi- means equal and distant refers to distance. The depot is equally far from both bases, whatever that distance is.

• A: Equal size is a different property; the word concerns distance.
• B: Equidistant does not say whether the distance is large or small, only that it is equal.
• C (correct): Equi- means equal, so the depot is the same distance from each base.
• D: A connecting road is not implied; the word compares distances.

Answer: C

Correct answer: stopped for a time. Pend relates to hanging, but for an activity suspend means stop temporarily. The drill was paused until the lightning passed.

• A: Suspension is temporary; a permanent end would be cancellation.
• B: Starting early is unrelated to stopping an activity because of danger.
• C (correct): Suspending an activity means halting it temporarily, which fits a drill paused for lightning.
• D: Hanging is the literal sense of pend, but a drill cannot be placed on a hook.

Answer: A

Correct answer: all-knowing. Omni- (all) plus sci (know) means all-knowing. The narrator knows even hidden thoughts, which confirms this sense.

• A (correct): Omni- means all and sci means knowing, and a narrator who reveals every character's thoughts knows everything.
• B: Talking a lot is not the idea; sci concerns knowledge.
• C: All-powerful is omnipotent; sci refers to knowing, not power.
• D: Confidence is a feeling about oneself, much weaker than knowing everything.

Answer: C

Correct answer: inaccurate name. Mis- (wrong) plus nom- (name) gives wrong name. Calling a shallow creek a river gives it a name that does not fit.

• A: Mis- suggests an error, but nom- points to a name, not a number.
• B: Praise is not involved; the error is in what the creek is called.
• C (correct): Mis- means wrong and nom- means name, so a misnomer is a name that does not fit.
• D: Repetition has nothing to do with nom-, which concerns naming.

Answer: B

Correct answer: concerned with the study of water. Hydr (water) plus -logical (relating to a field of study) gives relating to the study of water. That fits a survey done before new wells are approved.

• A: Heat would point to therm-, which is not in the word.
• B (correct): Hydr- means water and -logical refers to a field of study, so the survey studies the valley's water.
• C: Rock layers would be geological; hydr- points to water.
• D: Weather is the subject of meteorology, a different -logy field.

Answer: D

Correct answer: significant. Port means carry, but important should not be translated literally. Putting significant into the sentence makes sense: the cracked weld matters a great deal to the report.

• A: This is a literal reading of port as carry, which makes no sense for a weld in a report.
• B: This confuses the word with import; the sentence is about how much the weld matters.
• C: When the weld was found is not stated; the word describes its value to the report.
• D (correct): In modern usage important means having great significance, which fits evidence in an accident report.

Answer: D

Correct answer: overly trusting. Cred- relates to belief, and credulous describes a person who believes too easily. The buyer trusting a doubtful claim about a rusty truck shows this, so overly trusting fits; believable would describe the claim, not the buyer.

• A: Being believable to others describes a credible claim; credulous describes a person who believes too readily.
• B: Being doubtful of claims is close to the opposite; a doubtful buyer would have questioned the seller.
• C: Impatience is not suggested by cred-, which concerns belief.
• D (correct): Credulous describes someone too ready to believe, and the buyer accepted an unlikely claim without question.

Answer: B

Correct answer: wishing harm to others. Mal- signals bad, and malevolent means actively wishing harm. Check the strength: mildly unfriendly is too weak for a villain's smile at hostages.

• A: Mal- shows a negative direction, but malevolent is much stronger than mild coolness toward strangers.
• B (correct): Mal- means bad and the word describes active ill will, which fits a villain threatening hostages.
• C: Mal- appears in words about poor health, but here it joins vol (wish) and describes ill will, not sickness.
• D: Sadness is a feeling about oneself; malevolent is aimed at harming others.

Answer: C

Correct answer: cautious. Circum- (around) plus spect (look) gives the image of looking around, but the modern meaning is careful and wary. Studying every risk before acting confirms cautious.

• A: Circum- means around, but being surrounded is a position, not a quality of careful judgment.
• B: Boasting does not match a commander who carefully studies risks.
• C (correct): Circumspect means careful to consider consequences, which fits studying every risk before acting.
• D: This is the literal look-around picture; the modern word describes careful thinking, not eye movement.

Answer: A

Correct answer: generous-spirited. Magn- means great and anim- means spirit, so the word describes a great or generous spirit. Praising the losing team shows that generosity.

• A (correct): Magn- (great) plus anim- (spirit) describes a big-hearted person, which fits a coach praising the losers.
• B: Anim- can suggest life, but lively misses the generosity shown toward the other team.
• C: Pride in winning would point toward boasting, the opposite of praising opponents.
• D: This reads magn- too literally; the word describes character, not body size.

Answer: A

Correct answer: conversation partner. Inter- (between) plus locut (speak) describes someone speaking with another person. The one asking the sergeant to repeat herself is her conversation partner.

• A (correct): Inter- means between and locut means speak, so an interlocutor is the other person taking part in the conversation.
• B: Inter- can look like interrupt or intrude, but the root locut points to speaking with someone.
• C: An interpreter translates between languages; nothing in the sentence involves translation.
• D: Locut relates to speech, but the word does not describe volume.

Answer: B

Correct answer: range covered. Scop relates to looking, but in everyday English scope means the extent of a project. Being limited to one compartment describes the range the inspection covers.

• A: The result of an inspection is not the same as the area it covers.
• B (correct): In ordinary use scope means the range or extent of a task, and limited to the engine compartment fits this.
• C: Scope is part of microscope and periscope, but here it names the extent of the job, not a device.
• D: Timing would be a different concern; the sentence states which area the inspection includes.

Answer: D

Correct answer: bring about. Induce comes from in- plus duc (lead), and its modern meaning is cause. The warning to drivers shows that the medicine can bring about drowsiness.

• A: Preventing drowsiness entirely would be a benefit, not a reason to warn drivers.
• B: Duc means lead, but a medicine does not guide drowsiness along a route; the literal sense does not fit.
• C: Reduce shares the duc letters but means make smaller, which contradicts the warning on the label.
• D (correct): Induce means cause, and the warning shows the medicine can cause drowsiness.

Answer: A

Correct answer: all-powerful. Split the word into omni, all, and potent, powerful, so omnipotent means all-powerful. The sentence confirms it: controlling storms and armies is a display of power, not of knowledge, which rules out the omniscient trap.

• A (correct): Omni means all and potent means powerful, and bending storms and armies to his will shows unlimited power.
• B: This is omniscient, which pairs omni with sci, know; the trap uses the shared omni root.
• C: This is omnipresent; it keeps omni but swaps in a different idea, being in all places.
• D: Riches are not the clue; the sentence stresses control over storms and armies, which is power.

Answer: B

Correct answer: lying under oath. Jur means law or swear, the same root found in jury, and a witness swears an oath before testifying. Perjury is breaking that oath by lying, which is why it can bring prison time.

• A: A witness who stays silent has not made a false sworn statement, so this misses the core idea of lying.
• B (correct): Jur points to law and swearing an oath, and the crime connected with a sworn witness is telling lies after taking that oath.
• C: This grabs the jur letters shared with jury but describes a different crime.
• D: Talking out of turn breaks court rules, but it is not the serious crime of false sworn testimony.

Answer: C

Correct answer: extremely small. Micro means small, and a microscope is used to see tiny things. Cracks that can be spotted only under a bright lamp are extremely small.

• A: This is the meaning of macro, the opposite root that test writers use as a trap.
• B: Depth is not part of the word; micro is about size, and the hard-to-see cracks point to small.
• C (correct): Micro means small, and the cracks could be seen only under a bright lamp, so they were tiny.
• D: Cracks can be dangerous, but the word itself tells how small they are, not how risky.

Answer: C

Correct answer: set to show the same time. Peel off syn, together, and find chron, time. To synchronize watches is to make them show the same time so the team can act together.

• A: Winding a watch keeps it running, but the word is built from together plus time, not tension.
• B: Inspecting the watches fits the setting loosely, but nothing in syn or chron means checking.
• C (correct): Syn means together and chron means time, so the leaders made their watches agree on the time.
• D: New watches are not the point; the root chron shows the action concerns time.

Answer: D

Correct answer: dangerously low body temperature. Therm means heat, and hypo means under, so hypothermia is body heat that has dropped too low. Wrapping the climber in blankets to warm her confirms the meaning.

• A: This is hyperthermia; mixing up hypo and hyper turns the meaning into its opposite.
• B: That describes dehydration; it uses a water root, not therm, heat.
• C: A climbing injury fits the scene, but the word contains therm, heat, not anything about bones.
• D (correct): Hypo means under or low and therm means heat, and blankets are used to warm someone who is too cold.

Answer: B

Correct answer: living in water. The root aqu means water, the same root found in aquarium and aquifer. Aquatic insects are ones that live in water, which fits a sample taken from below a dam.

• A: Underground life would call for a different root; aqu points to water, not soil.
• B (correct): Aqu means water, as in aquarium, and insects collected below a dam live in the stream.
• C: This is nocturnal, which comes from noct, night, a root not found here.
• D: Many insects fly, but the root aqu tells where these insects live, which is water.

Answer: A

Correct answer: lack of interest. Apathy joins a-, without, and path, feeling. People without feeling or interest in an election stay home, which explains the empty polling stations.

• A (correct): A- means without and path means feeling, and empty polling stations show people did not care enough to vote.
• B: Anger is a strong feeling, the opposite of being without feeling.
• C: Sympathy shares the path root but adds sym, together; the a- prefix in apathy removes feeling instead.
• D: Confused voters might stay home, but the word is built from without plus feeling, which means not caring.

Answer: A

Correct answer: written account of a person's life. Bio means life and graph means write. A biography is a written account of a person's life, here the life of a medal recipient.

• A (correct): Bio means life and graph means write, so a biography is the written story of someone's life.
• B: Photos need the root photo, light; graph alone means writing, and bio adds life.
• C: This is biology; it shares bio but ends in -logy, study, rather than graph, write.
• D: Maps belong to geography; this word has bio, life, not geo, earth.

Answer: B

Correct answer: generous giving to help others. Philanthropy literally means love of humankind, but its modern meaning is giving to help others. Paying for students' scholarships is a clear example of that generosity.

• A: This is anthropology; it shares anthrop but ends in -logy, study.
• B (correct): Phil means love and anthrop means humankind, and in modern use that love shows up as giving money or time to help people, as the scholarships show.
• C: Phil does mean love, but anthrop points to people, not knowledge, and paying for scholarships is an act of giving.
• D: Saving keeps money; the engineer gave money away, which is the opposite action.

Answer: A

Correct answer: lacking a definite shape. Amorphous joins a-, without, and morph, shape. A plan that still has no definite shape or structure leaves contractors unable to estimate a price.

• A (correct): A- means without and morph means shape, and a plan without a clear shape cannot be priced.
• B: This is the opposite; a detailed plan would be easy to price.
• C: Cost is the result the sentence mentions, not the meaning of the word describing the plan.
• D: Change of shape is metamorphosis; the a- prefix in amorphous means without shape, not changed shape.

Answer: A

Correct answer: the same throughout. Homo means same and the -gene part refers to kind, so homogeneous means of the same kind throughout. Stirring blends the paint until every part is alike.

• A (correct): Homo means same, so a homogeneous mixture looks and behaves the same in every part, which is the goal of stirring.
• B: This is heterogeneous; swapping homo, same, for hetero, different, reverses the meaning.
• C: Stirring may change thickness, but the root homo is about sameness, not thinness.
• D: Temperature would need the root therm; nothing in this word refers to heat.

Answer: D

Correct answer: sends. Trans means across and mit means send. The weather station sends its readings across to the airfield, so transmits means sends.

• A: A station may record data, but the word is built from mit, send, and the readings travel to the airfield.
• B: This is the reverse direction; the station is sending the data, and the airfield is receiving it.
• C: Measuring would need the root meter; transmit is about passing the readings along.
• D (correct): Trans means across and mit means send, so the station sends its readings across to the airfield.

Answer: B

Correct answer: calmness. Equi means equal or even, and anim means mind or spirit. Equanimity is an even, steady mind, which is calmness under stress, exactly what a pilot shows in an emergency.

• A: Fairness is equitable, which shares equi but not anim, mind; the sentence is about the pilot's mood.
• B (correct): Equi means equal or even and anim means mind, so equanimity is an even state of mind under pressure.
• C: Rushing is not an even state of mind, and nothing in the word refers to speed.
• D: Worry is the opposite of an even, steady mind.

Answer: D

Correct answer: independence. The Greek parts are auto, self, and nomos, law or rule, so autonomy literally means self-rule, the same idea behind an autonomous region that governs itself. On the job it means freedom to make decisions without someone checking every step, which makes sense once a year of training has built trust. The look-alike trap is automated tools: automatic shares auto but describes machines running by themselves, not people. Supervision is the reverse of autonomy.

• A: A raise may come with experience, but auto, self, points to working on one's own, not to wages.
• B: This seizes on the auto letters from automatic but turns the word into a noun for machines.
• C: This is the opposite; autonomy means less oversight, not more.
• D (correct): Auto means self, and autonomy is self-government, so trained technicians with more autonomy are free to work on their own.

Answer: A

Correct answer: blessing. Bene means well and dict means say, so a benediction is literally a speaking well. A chaplain's benediction is a blessing spoken over the troops.

• A (correct): Bene means well and dict means say, so a benediction is a speaking of good wishes, which is a blessing.
• B: Dict does mean say, but bene, well, makes this a good wish, not an order.
• C: A salute is a gesture, while benediction is built from say plus well.
• D: This is the opposite idea, closer to speaking badly of someone; bene means good.

Answer: D

Correct answer: easily noticed. The root spic is a variant of spect, look. Something conspicuous is easy to look at and notice, which is exactly where an evacuation sign should be placed.

• A: This is the opposite; a hidden sign would defeat its purpose.
• B: Guarding involves watching, but the word describes how easily the sign is seen, not protected.
• C: This sounds a little alike, but suspicious means causing distrust, not easy to see.
• D (correct): Spic means look, and a sign meant for an evacuation is placed where people will see it easily.

Answer: B

Correct answer: look over and improve. Revise joins re, again, and vis, see. To revise a schedule is to look it over again and make corrections or improvements.

• A: Handing out copies is a later step; nothing in re plus vis means printing.
• B (correct): Re means again and vis means see, so to revise is to look at work again in order to correct or improve it.
• C: Revising keeps the schedule and fixes it, while canceling throws it out.
• D: Reading aloud uses voice, not the see root, and does not change the schedule.

Answer: C

Correct answer: able to be seen. Vis means see and the suffix -ible means able to be. A beam that is visible can be seen, here from twenty miles away.

• A: This is audible; it uses aud, hear, instead of vis, see.
• B: A bright beam helps, but visible names whether it can be seen, not how strong it is.
• C (correct): Vis means see and -ible means able to be, so visible means able to be seen.
• D: This is invisible, the opposite meaning created by the negative prefix in-.

Answer: D

Correct answer: pull out. Ex means out and tract means pull or draw. A dentist who extracts a tooth pulls it out.

• A: Filling repairs a tooth in place, while ex plus tract means pulling it out.
• B: Cleaning is routine care, but tract, pull, shows the tooth is being removed.
• C: This reverses both parts of the word; ex means out and tract means pull.
• D (correct): Ex means out and tract means pull, so to extract a tooth is to pull it out.

Answer: D

Correct answer: object sent flying. Pro means forward and ject means throw. A projectile is an object thrown or flung forward, like a chip of metal flying off a grinding wheel.

• A: A grinding wheel can have sharp edges, but glasses guard against things flying toward the eyes.
• B: Noise is handled by ear protection; ject, throw, points to a flying object.
• C: Heat would need the therm root, and safety glasses are not mainly for heat.
• D (correct): Pro means forward and ject means throw, so a projectile is an object thrown or shot forward through the air.

Answer: C

Correct answer: burst out. E- means out and rupt means break or burst. Cheers that erupt burst out all at once, the way a volcano erupts.

• A: This is the opposite of a sudden burst of sound.
• B: Rupt suggests a sudden break or burst, not slow spreading.
• C (correct): E- means out and rupt means burst, so the cheers burst out suddenly.
• D: Silencing stops the cheers, while erupting releases them.

Answer: D

Correct answer: blockage. Ob means in the way and struct means build or arrange. An obstruction is something in the way that blocks passage, like a clog in a drain.

• A: This uses struct, build, too literally and ignores ob, in the way.
• B: A leak lets water out; the word means something that stops the flow.
• C: This is instruction, a look-alike word with a different prefix.
• D (correct): Ob means against or in the way and struct means build, so an obstruction is something placed in the way, which blocks a drain.

Answer: D

Correct answer: move. Trans means across and fer means carry. To transfer is to move from one place to another, here to a new base in Germany.

• A: Retiring ends a career, but the sentence names a new base, which shows a move.
• B: Training could happen anywhere; the word is built from across plus carry.
• C: Return means going back, while transfer means moving across to a new place.
• D (correct): Trans means across and fer means carry, so to transfer is to carry or move from one place to another.

Answer: C

Correct answer: make easier. Fac means make or do, and facilitate means to make something easier. A detailed map makes an unfamiliar road trip easier to complete.

• A: A map would speed a trip up, not hold it back.
• B: Funding a trip is a different idea; the root fac points to making the trip easier.
• C (correct): Fac means make or do, and to facilitate is to make a task easier, which is what a good map does for a trip.
• D: Planning uses the map, but facilitate describes helping the trip go smoothly.

Answer: A

Correct answer: concluded by reasoning. Deduce combines de, from, and duc, lead. The guard led his reasoning from the boot prints to a conclusion, so deduced means concluded by reasoning.

• A (correct): De means down or from and duc means lead, so the guard led his thinking from the clue to a conclusion.
• B: This is the meaning of reduced, a look-alike that also contains duc but has a different prefix.
• C: This reads duc, lead, too literally; nobody was being physically led anywhere.
• D: The guard reached a conclusion from evidence, not a refusal to accept it.

Answer: B

Correct answer: truthfulness. Ver means true, as in verify. To question the veracity of an account is to doubt its truthfulness.

• A: This confuses veracity with velocity, which sounds similar but means speed.
• B (correct): Ver means true, the same root as verify, so investigators doubted whether the account was true.
• C: Nothing in ver refers to sound; investigators care whether the story is true.
• D: This sound-alike means fierceness, which has no connection to ver, true.

Answer: B

Correct answer: fluent and persuasive. Loqu is a variant of locut, speak. An eloquent speaker uses words fluently and persuasively, which is how he holds an audience for an hour.

• A: Volume is an intensity trap; eloquence is about skill with words, not loudness.
• B (correct): E- means out and loqu means speak, so an eloquent person speaks out well and moves listeners.
• C: This sound-alike trap mixes up eloquent with elegant.
• D: Fame is not built into the word; loqu, speak, points to speaking skill.

Answer: A

Correct answer: awaiting a decision. Pend means hang, and in modern use a pending matter is left hanging, not yet decided. The list waits for the June meeting, so it is awaiting a decision.

• A (correct): Pend means hang, and a pending matter is still hanging, not yet settled, until the board meets.
• B: This takes pend, hang, too literally; the list is undecided, not physically hung.
• C: This is the opposite; the board has not met yet.
• D: Nothing has been ended; the decision is simply waiting.

Answer: B

Correct answer: carve or write. In means on or into and scrib means write. To inscribe names on a granite wall is to carve them into the stone.

• A: Reading names aloud uses the voice; scrib means write.
• B (correct): In means into or on and scrib means write, so to inscribe is to write or carve letters into a surface such as stone.
• C: Removing or erasing names is the opposite of putting them on the wall.
• D: This is the modern sense of subscribe, a different word with the same root.

Answer: D

Correct answer: brief summary. Syn means together and opsis means view, so a synopsis presents the whole at once in brief. A synopsis of a report is a short summary of its main points.

• A: This is synonym, a look-alike that shares syn but ends with a name root instead of a view root.
• B: This is close to the opposite; a synopsis condenses rather than expands.
• C: A table of contents lists sections, while a synopsis tells what the report says.
• D (correct): Syn means together and opsis means view, so a synopsis gives a view of the whole report at once in short form.

Answer: A

Correct answer: calling. Voc means voice or call. A vocation is a calling, meaning work a person feels drawn to, such as serving as a medic.

• A (correct): Voc means call, and a vocation is work a person feels called to do.
• B: This mixes up vocation with the look-alike vacation, which is time off.
• C: Voc does mean voice, but the sentence is about his work, so the literal reading misses.
• D: Location is not part of the word; the sentence describes a career.

Answer: C

Correct answer: authority to act. Splitting mandate into man and date is a false split. A mandate is an official order or authority, and an election win gives a governor the authority to act on a promise.

• A: This is a false split on the letters man; the word has nothing to do with men.
• B: This is a false split on the letters date; no time limit is meant.
• C (correct): A mandate is an official order or grant of authority, and voters grant a governor the authority to carry out a program.
• D: Funding may follow, but the voters gave approval and power, not a bill.

Answer: C

Correct answer: record of events in time order. Chron means time. A chronicle records events in the order they happened, which is what a unit historian keeps.

• A: Maps relate to geo, earth; chron points to time.
• B: This borrows from chronic, which shares chron but describes a persistent condition.
• C (correct): Chron means time, and a historian's chronicle lists events in the order they happened.
• D: An inventory of supplies has no time order, which is the core of chron.

Answer: B

Correct answer: sends out for sale. Ex means out and port means carry. A country that exports grain carries it out to sell to other nations.

• A: Bringing goods in from abroad is import; the prefix im-, in, reverses the direction.
• B (correct): Ex means out and port means carry, so exporting is carrying goods out of the country.
• C: Farming grows the grain, but port, carry, shows it is being shipped away.
• D: Storing keeps grain in place, while export moves it out of the country.

Answer: C

Correct answer: foretell. Pre means before and dict means say. To predict is to say ahead of time what will happen, which is what a forecast does.

• A: Remembering looks back, while pre points forward to what has not happened.
• B: Denying rejects a claim; forecasters are making one about the future.
• C (correct): Pre means before and dict means say, so to predict is to say what will happen before it does.
• D: Measuring would use meter; forecasters are saying what will come.

Answer: A

Correct answer: failure to work properly. Mal means badly. A malfunction is a failure of a device to work properly, serious enough here to send the ship back.

• A (correct): Mal means badly, so a malfunction is equipment functioning badly, which is why the ship turned back.
• B: An upgrade improves equipment on purpose; mal signals something going wrong.
• C: A safety check is normal work, but mal means badly and points to a problem.
• D: This is the opposite direction; the radar was failing, not gaining strength.

Answer: C

Correct answer: size or strength. Magn means great, as in magnify. The magnitude of an earthquake is how great it is, meaning its size or strength.

• A: Where the quake happened is a separate fact; magn refers to greatness.
• B: The cause explains why, but magnitude tells how big.
• C (correct): Magn means great, and magnitude tells how great something is, so an earthquake's magnitude is its size or strength.
• D: Duration would need a time root such as chron or temp.

Answer: C

Correct answer: sent away. Dis means away and miss means send. To dismiss a class is to send the students away, here early because of a storm.

• A: This is the opposite of sending people away.
• B: Being let go early because of a storm is not a penalty.
• C (correct): Dis means away and miss means send, so the instructor sent the students away early.
• D: Teaching happens before the class is dismissed, not by dismissing it.