Greek and Latin Roots — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. If "rupt" means "to break," what does the word "disrupt" most likely mean?
A) To fix something
B) To break apart or interrupt
C) To carry away
D) To build quickly
Dis- (apart) + rupt (break) = disrupt, to break apart or interrupt the normal flow of something.
2. The word "geography" contains "geo" (earth) and "graph" (write). Geography is the:
A) Study of life
B) Writing about the earth
C) Self-study of distance
D) Building of maps
Geo (earth) + graph (write) = geography, the study/writing about the earth's physical features.
3. Which word contains the root meaning "to carry"?
A) Telegram
B) Structure
C) Portable
D) Autograph
Portable contains the root "port" (to carry) — portable means able to be carried.
4. A student sees the word "biographer" for the first time. Using roots, it most likely means:
A) A person who studies far places
B) A person who writes about someone's life
C) A self-building machine
D) A tool for seeing small things
Bio (life) + graph (write) + -er (person who) = biographer, a person who writes about someone's life.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The root "aud" means to hear, so an audience is a group that listens .
Aud (hear) + -ience = audience, a group of people who listen to or watch a performance.
2. Knowing roots helps you figure out unfamiliar words without a dictionary.
Greek and Latin roots are powerful decoding tools that help readers understand unfamiliar vocabulary.
3. The word "television" combines "tele" (far) and "vis" meaning to see .
Tele (far) + vis (see) = television, a device for seeing images from far away.
4. A word family is a group of words that share the same root .
Word families are groups of related words built from the same Greek or Latin root (e.g., port, transport, export, import).
5. The root "dict" means to say, so a dictionary is a book of words and meanings.
Dict (say/word) + -ionary = dictionary, a book listing words and their meanings.