Word Roots Practice

Synonyms

The following exercise lists vocabulary words from this chapter. Each word is followed by five answer choices. Four of them are synonyms of the vocabulary word in bold. Your task is to choose the one that is NOT a synonym.

21. benevolent
    1. compassionate
    2. caring
    3. malevolent
    4. kind
    5. generous
22. recapitulate
    1. repeat
    2. summarize
    3. reiterate
    4. decimate
    5. review
23. urbane
    1. sophisticated
    2. advanced
    3. complicated
    4. polished
    5. puerile
24. conspicuous
    1. cryptic
    2. evident
    3. visible
    4. prominent
    5. noticeable
25. incisive
    1. keen
    2. insightful
    3. unclear
    4. intuitive
    5. penetrating
26. gregarious
    1. sociable
    2. companionable
    3. outgoing
    4. extroverted
    5. shy
27. assimilate
    1. incorporate
    2. reject
    3. absorb
    4. digest
    5. understand
28. impediment
    1. hindrance
    2. obstacle
    3. obstruction
    4. aid
    5. barrier
29. inference
    1. deduction
    2. assumption
    3. obsolescence
    4. suggestion
    5. supposition
30. evident
    1. obvious
    2. clear
    3. apparent
    4. foggy
    5. blatant

Antonyms

Choose the word from the vocabulary list that means the opposite, or most nearly the opposite, of the following groups of words.

31. aid, assistance, support, backing
32. bill, cost, charge
33. central, vital, innermost, crucial
34. nastiness, greed, selfishness, gluttony
35. unsophisticated, simple, crude, unrefi ned
36. disbelief, incredulity, doubt, mistrust
37. agreement, consensus, accord, harmony
38. mean, nasty, unkind, malevolent
39. outstanding, exceptional, superior, first-rate
40. unclear, murky, indistinct, doubtful

TIP

The thing about roots is that you probably know more than you think. Pay attention to words you already know and use, and notice how many roots you've already learned along the way.

Choosing the Right Word

Circle the word in bold that best completes the sentence.

41. Because she was fearful of wide-open spaces, she was diagnosed as being (agoraphobic, gregarious).
42. During the scavenger hunt, the easily seen clue was left under a (conspicuous, incisive) rock.
43. The quickly dissolving fertilizer was (mediocre, biodegradable).
44. (Benevolent, Urbane)Peace Corps volunteers selflessly devote their time to help others in need.
45. In order to receive high marks, Olympic ice skaters' performances cannot be (conspicuous, mediocre).
46. His blindness did not stop him from becoming a Grammy winner, nor was it an (impediment, precedent) to him becoming a singing sensation.
47. In the Preamble of the Constitution, it clearly states, "We hold these truths to be self- (evident, benevolent), that all men are created equal."
48. To sum up the important events, the producer had the narrator (attribute, recapitulate) those events at the movie's finale.
49. It's always a good idea to send your (inference, remittance) to the phone company immediately after you receive your bill.
50. Because of their clarity and logic, no one questioned the (incisive, mediocre) orders of the captain.

Practice Activities

The following is a list of words that contain the same roots as the words in this chapter. See if you can determine the words' meanings. Check your definitions with the dictionary definitions.

xenophobia, facsimile, contribution, beneficiary, bionic, introspection, dictate, credulous, video, egregious, pedestrian, precise, interfere, media, bibliophile, intercede, commission, contiguous, suburban

Select any five words from the list and create your own sentences.

Crossword Puzzle

Choose the word from the vocabulary list that best fits into the crossword puzzle. You can check your answers at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions.

Answers

Words in Context

After reading the paragraph, we learn that scientists have made a discovery about bottle-nosed dolphins. Because of their experiments using mirrors, they believe that the dolphins can recognize themselves in a reflection. Therefore, they credit these experiments with proving this to be true. We can deduce that attribute means giving credit to the results that support this finding. The next word we see is credence. Further experiments of placing marks on the noses of these dolphins cause them to seek out their reflection to check their noses for marks that they try to wipe off. We can presume that credence means it makes these findings more believable. Because the dolphins tried to rub off conspicuous colored marks on their noses, we can infer that conspicuous marks were highly visible. Because of the results of these experiments, the scientists inferred that dolphins could recognize their own images. We can tell that the inference was their conclusion. The last vocabulary word we see is precedent. Since there have been no other examples of mammals being aware of their own image, other than gorillas setting a precedent, we can infer that the discovery of gorillas' self-awareness came before the dolphin discovery.

Sentence Completion

1. conspicuous. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
2. assimilate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
3. evident. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
4. biodegradable. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
5. benevolent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
6. gregarious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
7. impediment. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
8. contradiction. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
9. mediocre. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
10. credence. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
11. remittance. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
12. philanthropy. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
13. incisive. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
14. urbane. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
15. tangential. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
16. inferred. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
17. agoraphobic. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
18. recapitulate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
19. attributes. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
20. precedent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.

Synonyms

21. c. malevolent. Benevolent means giving and kind, so malevolent would not be a synonym of the word because it means evil.
22. d. decimate. Recapitulate means to recap, so decimate would not be a synonym of the word because it means destroy.
23. e. puerile. Urbane means refined, so puerile would not be a synonym of the word because it means childish.
24. a. cryptic. Conspicuous means obvious, so cryptic would not be a synonym of the word because it means hidden.
25. c. unclear. Incisive means perceptive, so unclear would not be the synonym of the word because it means wishy-washy.
26. e. shy. Gregarious means outgoing, so shy would not be a synonym of the word because it means timid.
27. b. reject. Assimilate means to take in, so reject would not be a synonym of the word because it means to discard or throw out.
28. d. aid. Impediment means an obstacle, so aid would not be a synonym of the word because it means to help.
29. c. obsolescence. Inference means a presumption, so obsolescence would not be a synonym of the word because it means outdated.
30. d. foggy. Evident means obvious, so foggy cannot be a synonym.

Antonyms

31. impediment. Impediment means hindrance, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
32. remittance. Remittance means payment, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
33. tangential. Tangential means secondary or unimportant, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
34. philanthropy. Philanthropy means generosity, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
35. urbane. Urbane means sophisticated and cultured the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
36. credence. Credence means belief, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
37. contradiction. Contradiction means disagreement, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
38. benevolent. Benevolent means kind, having goodwill, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
39. mediocre. Mediocre means commonplace, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
40. evident. Evident means obvious, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

Choosing the Right Word

41. agoraphobic. Context clue is that she was fearful of wide-open spaces.
42. conspicuous. Context clue is the easily seen clue.
43. biodegradable. Context clue is quickly dissolving fertilizer.
44. benevolent. Context clue is volunteers selflessly devote their time.
45. mediocre. Context clue is that Olympic skaters must "receive high marks."
46. impediment. Context clue is the man's blindness did not stop him from becoming a Grammy winner.
47. evident. Context clue is "the Constitution clearly states."
48. recapitulate. Context clue is that the important events were summarized.
49. remittance. Context clue is that the customers need to pay the bill.
50. incisive. Context clue is that the captain's orders had clarity and logic.

Crossword Puzzle Solution