Suffixes - SSAT Middle Level Verbal

The root "agr­_-_" means having to do with farming or rural life, so it makes sense that "agriculture" and "farming" are synonyms. To solve this analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice that is a synonym of "horticulture." "Horticulture" is derived from the Latin "hortus," meaning garden, and is a synonym of "gardening." So, "gardening" is the correct answer.

The prefix neo- means new, and the suffix -lithic refers to an era of prehistory. The prefix paleo- means old or very ancient, so the correct answer choice is “Paleolithic.” The other four answer choices are all other eras of ancient history, the key to solve this analogy was identifying the relationship between neo- and “new” and paleo- and “old.”

The prefixes dys- and in- carry negative meanings that take their words and cause them to mean the opposite. So “dysfunctional” means not working, and “inability” means lack of ability. Something that has an “inability” to do something is also “dysfunctional,” so these terms are loosely synonyms. To solve this analogy then you need to determine which word is closest in meaning to “cosmopolitan.” “Cosmopolitan” means international, exhibiting cultural diversity or knowledge; therefore the best answer choice is “worldly.” To provide further help, “innate” means natural; “focused” means not distracted; “feral” means wild; “perilous” means dangerous.

"Marriage" is an institution that is ended by "divorce." To solve this analogy, you have to determine which of these words describes the ending of a "contract." A "contract" is a binding agreement between two parties. When a "contract" is ended, it is said to be "terminated." It may have helped you arrive at this answer if you considered that the prefix "term-" means boundary, ending. To provide further, help, an "accord" is an agreement; "litigation" is the process of suing someone; an "anniversary" is a yearly rememberance of a specific event on a specific date, such as a birthday; "slander" is the act of writing untruthful statements about someone with the intent of negatively affecting their reputation.

The best answer is "extinguish is to fire." Its relationship is much like the one between "exterminate," which means to destroy or kill and "pest," a nuisance or annoying animal or thing. Both analogies imply a sense of completeness in their actions. You would want to be entirely rid of pests and to throughly put out a fire.

The prefix be- means cause or make. To “berate” someone means to yell at them, to make them feel uncomfortable, to scold, so to solve this analogy you have to determine which of these words is a synonym for “belittle.” “Belittle” means to make someone feel little, this is most similar in meaning to “demean” which means to humiliate, to bring someone down. To provide further help, “supplant” means replace.

The prefixes im- and un- are both negation prefixes; this means they take the original meaning of the word and cause the new word to mean the opposite. Something that is “assailable” is able to be assailed, able to be conquered and something that is “pregnable” is able to be penetrated, able to be conquered. “Unassailable” and “impregnable” are therefore synonyms of one another: both words mean not able to be conquered. To solve this analogy you have to identify the best available synonym for “meager.” “Meager” means to have very little of something, to be in very small supply so the best synonym is “scant.” To provide further help, “excessive” means too much; “unstoppable” means unable to be stopped; “credible” means believable; “mischievous” means badly-behaved, naughty.

The prefix mand- means command, so something that is “mandatory” is something you are commanded to do and have to do. As such, it is a synonym of “required,” so to solve this analogy you need to determine the best available synonym for “intermittent.” The prefix inter- means between, and the word fragment -mit- means send so something that is “intermittent” is sent back and forth at irregular, or varied, intervals. As such it is closest in meaning to “irregular,” which means not frequent, out of pattern. The prefix ir- negates the meaning of the original word “regular,” causing the new word to mean the opposite. To provide further help, “frequent” means often; “abrasive” means rude; “laborious” means hard-work; “gregarious” means friendly, sociable.

The prefix ­"terra_-" means related to the Earth and the prefix "celes-"_ means related to heaven, the sky, or outer space. As “terrestrial” is to Earth, so “celestial” is to space, so "space" is the correct answer. For clarification, “terrestrial” means of this Earth or observed on this Earth, and “celestial” means of space or observed in space or the heavens.

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 suffix "-phobia" means fear of and the root "ergo" means having to do with work, so the word "ergophobia" means the fear of work. To solve the analogy, you need to pick out the answer choice that is the thing that someone with "pyrophobia" is afraid of. The root "pyro" means having to do with fire, as seen in “pyromaniac” or “pyrotechnic.” Someone who suffers from “pyrophobia” therefore is someone who is afraid of fire, making "fire" the correct answer.

The suffix "_-_phobia" means fear of. The root "ecclesi" means related to Christianity and its church, as seen in “ecclesiastical,” so “ecclesiophobia” is fear of the Christian church. To solve this analogy, you have to determine what "pharmaphobia" is a fear of. You may notice that "pharma" is also contained in the word "pharmacy," which is a place where you purchase drugs. The root "pharma" means related to drugs or medicine, and "pharmaphobia" is the fear of drugs .

The suffix -phobia means related to a fear, and the prefix chrono- means time so “chronophobia” means fear of time, or fear of the passage of time. To solve this analogy you therefore need to determine what “panphobia” is the fear of. The prefix pan- means everything, everywhere, so the word “panphobia” means fear of everything.