Greek and Latin Roots Practice Exercises
Practice Exercise
Circle the correct meaning for the italicized word in each sentence.
1. The Latin root am means love. An amiable person is
1. talkative.
2. truthful.
3. well educated.
4. friendly, good natured.
2. The Latin root plac means to please. A complacent person is one who
1. makes frequent mistakes.
2. is argumentative.
3. is self-satisfied.
4. is known to tell frequent lies.
3. The Latin root luc/lum/lus means light. A lucid argument is
1. very clear and understandable.
2. loosely held together.
3. illogical.
4. one that blames others.
4. The Latin root qui means quiet. A quiescent place is
1. very isolated.
2. very chaotic.
3. very dangerous.
4. very still and restful.
5. The Latin root loc/loq/loqu means word, speech. Something that is eloquent is
1. dull and trite.
2. expressed in an effective way.
3. very old-fashioned.
4. equally divided into parts.
6. The Greek word auto means self. To have autonomy means to
1. have a lot of money.
2. be independent.
3. have courage.
4. have strong opinions.
7. The Greek root pas/pat/path means feeling, suffering, disease. To have empathy is to
1. give to others.
2. have a love for others.
3. identify with the feelings of others.
4. be similar to others.
8. The Greek root pseudo means false, fake. The root nom/nym means name. A pseudonym
is
1. a false name.
2. an ancient god or deity.
3. a harsh sound.
4. a long and boring speech.
9. The Greek root dog/dox means opinion. The suffix -ic means having the quality of. A
person who is dogmatic is
1. not in touch with reality.
2. intolerant of other opinions.
3. one who asserts opinions in an arrogant way.
4. secretive and ungenerous.
10. The Greek root phil means love and the root anthro/andro means human. Philanthropy is
1. the love of humankind.
2. a preference for something in particular.
3. using force to control others.
4. spreading unkind rumors.
Tip
Even if you don't have a clue about what a new word means, look at it closely and see if it
sounds similar to another word you know, or if it has parts similar to other words you know.
Words You Should Now Know
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amiable
enhance
anachronism
etymologist
autonomy
exceed
cessation
lucid
chronic
philanthropy
chronicle
precede
chronology
procedure
complacent
proceed
concede
pseudonym
dogma
quiescent
eloquent
synchronize
empathy
Extra Word(s) You Learned in This Study Guide
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
d. Amiable means friendly and agreeable, likeable.
c. Complacent means pleased or satisfied with oneself.
a. Lucid means very clear, easy to understand.
d. Quiescent means inactive, at rest.
b . Eloquent means expressed in a powerful or persuasive manner.
b. Autonomy means personal or political independence.
c. Empathy means understanding or identifying with another's feelings or situation.
a. A pseudonym is a fictitious name, as often used by a writer.
c. Dogmatic means asserting yourself in an absolute, arrogant way.Dogma means a
doctrine or a set of principles or beliefs that one believes are absolutely true.
10. a. Philanthropy means love of humankind, or the voluntary actions to help others.