Free CALT Morphology and Etymology Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following words contains the Latin root 'spect', meaning 'to see' or 'to look'?
- Portable
- Inspect (Correct answer)
- Disrupt
- Admit
Correct answer: Inspect
The Latin root 'spect' means 'to see' or 'to look'. The word 'inspect' means to look into something carefully. The other words derive from different roots: 'portable' from 'port' (to carry), 'disrupt' from 'rupt' (to break), and 'admit' from 'mit' (to send).
Question 2: In the word 'unbelievably', which of the following is the base word or free morpheme?
- un-
- believe (Correct answer)
- -able
- -ly
Correct answer: believe
A free morpheme is a meaningful unit that can stand alone as a word. In 'unbelievably', 'believe' is the base word. 'Un-', '-able', and '-ly' are all bound morphemes (affixes) that must be attached to a base.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of a derivational suffix?
- The '-s' in 'dogs'
- The '-ed' in 'walked'
- The '-ness' in 'happiness' (Correct answer)
- The '-ing' in 'running'
Correct answer: The '-ness' in 'happiness'
A derivational suffix changes the part of speech or the core meaning of a word. The suffix '-ness' changes the adjective 'happy' into the noun 'happiness'. Inflectional suffixes, like '-s' (plural), '-ed' (past tense), and '-ing' (present participle), modify a word's tense or number but do not change its fundamental meaning or class.
Question 4: The etymology of the word 'telephone' comes from the Greek combining forms 'tele' and 'phone'. What do these forms mean?
- Light and write
- Speak and hear
- Far off and sound (Correct answer)
- Under and water
Correct answer: Far off and sound
Understanding etymology helps decode word meanings. In Greek, 'tele' means 'far off' or 'at a distance,' and 'phone' means 'sound' or 'voice.' Therefore, a telephone is a device for transmitting sound over a distance.
Question 5: Which of the following is a bound morpheme?
- cat
- re- (Correct answer)
- run
- the
Correct answer: re-
A bound morpheme is a unit of meaning that cannot stand alone as a word and must be attached to another morpheme. The prefix 're-' is a bound morpheme, as seen in words like 'replay' or 'redo'. 'Cat', 'run', and 'the' are all free morphemes because they can be words by themselves.
Question 6: The words 'structure', 'construct', and 'destruction' all share a common root, 'struct'. What is the meaning of this Latin root?
- To carry
- To break
- To see
- To build (Correct answer)
Correct answer: To build
The Latin root 'struct' means 'to build'. This meaning is evident in 'structure' (something that is built), 'construct' (to build something), and 'destruction' (the act of un-building or taking apart). Recognizing this root helps students understand a family of related words.
Free CALT Morphology and Etymology Questions and Answers 1
Which of the following words contains the Latin root 'spect', meaning 'to see' or 'to look'?