Which option correctly describes how roots, prefixes, and suffixes help with vocabulary?

Which option correctly describes how roots, prefixes, and suffixes help with vocabulary?

• A. They tell you the color of the word.
• B. They are decorative parts of words.
• C. They reveal base meaning and degree of change; knowing affixes helps guess definitions.
• D. They confuse readers by changing parts of speech.

Answer: (C)

Understanding how roots, prefixes, and suffixes work helps you figure out word meanings by giving you the core idea and showing how it’s been changed. The root carries the main meaning, while prefixes tweak that meaning (often adding a negation or a sense of repetition or reversal), and suffixes show how the word is used (its part of speech) or add a nuance. When you know common affixes, you can often guess a word’s definition even if you haven’t seen it before. For example, in a word like unbelievable, the root believe carries the core idea, the prefix un- flips it to not, and the suffix -able indicates possibility, so you get not able to be believed. Other options don’t capture how affixes actually help you deduce meaning or show how words change form, so the best choice is the one that emphasizes base meaning and degree of change.