Determining Meaning from Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots - SSAT Middle Level Verbal

The root "dox" means related to established thought or opinion, and the root "ortho" means straight or correct, so someone who is “orthodox” accepts traditions or the established account of things. On the other hand, the prefix "hetero" means other or different, so someone who is “heterodox” challenges traditions and accepts other accounts of things besides the established one. The two words are opposites of another, so to solve this analogy, you have to figure out the best antonym for “dormant.” “Dormant” means hidden, asleep or inactive, so the best antonym is “active.” To provide further help, “latent” means hidden and “quiescent” means dormant, while “pious” and “devout” both describe someone who is deeply religious.

To begin with the suffix -phobia immediately tells you that you are dealing with a fear. So, "anglophobia" is fear of the English. "Phobophobia" is therefore fear of fear itself. To solve this analogy you need to determine what "androphobia" is the fear of. To do this you need to consider the meaning of the Greek prefix andro- which means man. So, "androphobia" is fear of man, fear of men.

To begin with the suffix -phile means lover of. So, an "anglophile" is a lover of English things. A "bibliophile" is a lover of Books. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what a "cinephile" is a lover of. The correct answer is "movies." The Greek prefix cine-/kine- means related to movement, motion, as in "kinetic" and "cinema."

The prefix ornith- means birds, so "ornithophobia" means fear of birds. To solve this analogy you need to determine what "xenophobia" is the fear of. To do this you will need to rely on your knowledge of Greek prefixes. The prefix xen- means foreign, so "xenophobia" is fear of foreigners.

To begin with the suffix -phobia means fear of. Also, the prefix paed- means children, as in "pediatrician" (children's doctor). So, "paedophobia" is fear of children. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine what "photophobia" is the fear of. Well, the prefix photo- means light, so "photophobia" is the fear of light.

An "eagle" is an example of an "airborne" (in the air, flying) creature. So, to solve this analogy you need to determine which of these is a "subterranean" creature. Well, to solve this you obviously need to know what "subterranean" means. There are two relevant roots in the word to consider: First, sub- means below, beneath, under and second, terra- means Earth. So, "subterranean" means below the Earth. Which of these creatures lives "below the Earth?" A "worm."

The prefix ­"anglo-" means of or related to the English; the prefix "franco-" means of or related to the French. The suffix "–phobia" means fear. So "Anglophobia" is the fear of English people and "Francophobia" is the fear of French people.

The suffix -phile means love and the prefix Anglo­- means related to England or the English. So Anglophile describes someone who loves the English. To solve this analogy, you have to determine which country a Grecophile loves. You might have guessed, based on the first few letters, that the correct answer is “Greece.” It is Greece, the country, not Greek, the nationality, because the word "England" was used in the first comparison, not "English."

The suffix, -phobe, (or -phobia), means fear, and the prefix, Sino-, means related to China or the Chinese. So a "Sinophobe" is someone who is afraid of China; in order to solve this analogy you have to determine which country a "Francophobe" is afraid of. The correct answer is “France.” The prefix, Franco-, means related to France or the French.

Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number thirteen. The suffix "_-_phobia" describes a fear. So, to solve this analogy, you have to determine what "heliophobia" is the fear of. The correct answer is “sunlight,” as you may have determined from the prefix "helio-,"which means related to the sun or sunlight and is found in other words like "heliocentric" (having the sun at the center, used to describe the modern view of the solar system).

The prefix "ando_-_" means related to men, so in this instance, the word “andocentric” means having a world view centered around men and masculine ways of viewing things. “Geocentric” means having to do with an astronomical model that centers around the preeminence of the Earth. The prefix "geo-­" means related to the Earth. So, the correct answer is "Earth."

The suffix "_-_phile" means lover of and the prefix "bibl-"means related to books, so we can see that “bibliophile” means a lover of books. To solve this analogy, you need to determine what a “zoophile” is a lover of. The correct answer is “animals.” The prefix "zoo-" means related to animals, so whenever you see it in a word, it is reasonable to assume that the word will have something to do with animals.

A “hippophile” is a lover of horses. The prefix "hippo_-"_ is taken from Greek and means related to horses. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what a “Grecophile” is loves. The correct answer is “Greece.” The prefix ­"Greco_-_" means related to Greece or the Greek people.

The suffix "-phobia" means a fear of and the word "arachnid" is the Latin term for the biological family containing spiders, so “arachnophobia” is a fear of spiders. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what “agoraphobia” is the fear of. The correct answer is “public spaces,” as the prefix ­"agor-" means related to outside or open spaces. To help you remember this prefix, just think of an "agora," an open-air public space found in an ancient Greek city.

The suffix ­"_-_ology" means the study of and the prefix “psych-” means related to the mind, so “psychology” is the study of the human mind. To solve this analogy, you have to determine of what “geology” is the study. The correct answer is "rocks," because the prefix "geo-" means related to the Earth or things that come from the Earth, like rocks, making "geology" the study of rocks and minerals and the physical history of the Earth.

The suffix "-phone" means related to language or speaking and the prefix ­"anglo-" means related to England or the English. An “Anglophone” is an English speaker and a “Francophone” is a French speaker. The prefix "franco_-"_ means related to France or the French. So, "French" is the correct answer.

“Introvert” and “extrovert” are antonyms; they are complete opposites of each other. We can tell this from their prefixes, "intro-," which means having to do with the inside of something, and "extro-," which means having to do with the outside of something. An “introvert” is someone who keeps to themselves, while an “extrovert” likes to be outgoing. This tells us that we should look for the opposite of “underpopulated.” The opposite of "under_-" (not enough) is "over-"_ (too much), so the answer is “overpopulated.” Similarly, “depopulated” means the opposite of “repopulated” just as “unpopulated” means the opposite of “populated.” To help, a place which is “populated” has people living on or in it; for example New York is populated.

The suffix "phobia" means fear of, and the word fragment "zoo_"_ means related to animals, so “agrizoophobia” means fear of wild animals. The prefix "dement_-_" means related to insanity or the loss of mental capabilities, as seen in words like “dementia” or “demented.” Someone who suffers from “dementophobia” can thus be said to be suffering from fear of insanity.

The root "anthro_-" means related to mankind and the suffix "-ology"_ means the study of, so “anthropology” is the study of man. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what “climatology” is the study of. The correct answer is "climate." None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank as they have nothing to do with climate.