Roots, Prefixes & Suffixes — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The Greek root tele means "far," so a television lets you see pictures and shows broadcast from far away.
Tele means "far" and vis means "to see," so a television lets you see images sent from far-away studios and broadcast towers.
2. A telephone is a device that lets you speak with someone who is far away.
Tele means "far" and phon means "sound," so a telephone carries sound across a far distance, letting two people talk even when apart.
3. The Greek root phon means "sound," so headphones are devices worn over the ears to listen to sounds privately.
Phon means "sound," and headphones deliver sound directly to your ears so only you can hear the music or audio.
4. A microphone is a device that makes your voice louder so a large crowd can hear you.
Micro means "small" and phon means "sound" — a microphone picks up a small sound (your voice) and amplifies it so an entire audience can hear.
5. The Greek root path means "feeling," so empathy is the ability to understand and share another person's feelings.
Em- means "in" and path means "feeling," so empathy means feeling "in" another person's shoes — truly understanding their emotions from their perspective.
6. When you feel sympathy for someone who is sad, you feel sorry for them and share their sorrow.
Sym- means "together" and path means "feeling," so sympathy means feeling together with someone — you share their sadness even though you are not in their exact situation.
7. The Greek root chron means "time," so to do things in chronological order means to arrange them by the time they happened.
Chron means "time," so chronological order arranges events from earliest to latest based on when they happened.
8. A chronicle is a record of events listed in the order they happened over time.
A chronicle records events in time order — the root chron (time) signals that a chronicle tracks what happened and when.
9. A chronometer is a device used to measure time precisely, often used during races and experiments.
Chron means "time" and meter means "to measure," so a chronometer is a precision instrument for measuring time, essential for navigation and scientific experiments.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
telescope
→ a device for seeing objects that are very far away
a lack of feeling or interest in something
symphony
→ a musical work where many sounds play together in harmony
to make things happen at the same time
apathy
→ a lack of feeling or interest in something
a device for seeing objects that are very far away
synchronize
→ to make things happen at the same time
a musical work where many sounds play together in harmony
Each word uses a Greek root: telescope uses tele (far) + scope (see) — seeing far-away objects; symphony uses sym (together) + phon (sound) — many sounds playing together; apathy uses a- (without) + path (feeling) — having no feeling; synchronize uses syn (together) + chron (time) — making things happen at the same time.