HSPT Verbal : Analogies: Prefixes

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for HSPT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Analogies: Prefixes From Latin

Fill is to permeate as satisfy is to __________.

Possible Answers:

gorge

satiate

enjoy

please

gratify

Correct answer:

satiate

Explanation:

The prefix "per-" comes from the Latin meaning thorough. We see this in words like "perfect" and "pervade." When something permeates something else (e.g. a smell in a room), it completely fills it. Thus, permeate is a kind of "complete filling." To be "satiated" is to be satisfied completely. This is a kind of "complete satisfaction."

Example Question #2 : Analogies: Prefixes From Latin

Juxtaposed is to location as instantaneous is to __________.

Possible Answers:

response

position

time

answer

scheduling

Correct answer:

time

Explanation:

The prefix "juxta-" comes from the Latin meaning close. When two things are juxtaposed, they are bordering on each other (like neighboring plots of land). Just as juxtaposition is a close placement with regard to location, so is being "instantaneous" a kind of being close with regard to time.

Example Question #1 : Analogies: Prefixes

Vexed is to calm as after is to __________.

Possible Answers:

anterior

posterior

distracted

crafty

ingenuous

Correct answer:

anterior

Explanation:

When someone is "vexed," he or she is annoyed. This is the opposite of being calm. Therefore, we are looking for a word that is an antonym for "after."  he prefix "ante-" comes from Latin and means before. It is found in words like "antechamber" and "antecede." Something that is "anterior" is before something else. This is the opposite of being "after."

Example Question #1 : Analogies: Prefixes From Latin

Malicious is to benevolent as extraneous is to __________.

Possible Answers:

questionable

idiotic

wasteful

relevant

tedious

Correct answer:

relevant

Explanation:

Someone who is malicious is not benevolent. Being benevolent means being "good-willed"—quite the opposite of someone with a malicious will, a bad will! Therefore, we are looking for something that is the opposite of "extraneous." The prefix "extra-" means outside of. Extraneous details are unimportant and irrelevant—as when someone tells you all about the recent weather when you ask him or her to give you an outline of the a class you missed. Therefore, extraneous details are not relevant.

Example Question #5 : Analogies: Determining Meaning From Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots

Defeat is to vanquish as finish is to __________.

Possible Answers:

fulfill

conquer

perfect

accept

submit

Correct answer:

perfect

Explanation:

To "vanquish" someone is to completely defeat him or her. Therefore, we are looking for a word that intensifies the meaning of "finish," giving the sense of being wholly finished. The prefix "per-" is from a Latin root meaning throughout, though it often means "thoroughly" or "completely." When something is perfected, it is completely made—it is totally finished.

Example Question #2 : Analogies: Prefixes

Impress is to dazzle as decorate is to __________.

Possible Answers:

blandish

bedeck

festive

inculcate

cover

Correct answer:

bedeck

Explanation:

The word "bedeck" generally means decorate. However, the prefix "be-" can also function as an intensifier meaning thoroughly. To "bedeck" something is to decorate it thoroughly. To be "bedecked" is to be covered or decorated very completely. Just as something dazzling is very illuminated, so too is something bedecked "very decorated."

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