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Question

Difficulty: MediumPrefix and Suffix Analysis

Analyze the word parts: the Latin prefix retro- (meaning 'backward' or 'behind'), the root act (meaning 'to do' or 'drive'), and the suffix -ive (forming an adjective). Which derived word correctly completes the sentence below?

Answer:The military command enacted a 【retroactive】 policy change that applied credit to service members for specialized training completed during the previous year.

Answer

retroactive
The word 'retroactive' is formed from the Latin prefix 'retro-' (meaning backward or behind), the base root 'act' (meaning to do or drive), and the adjective suffix '-ive' (meaning expressing a tendency or function). In the sentence context, a policy that grants credit for training completed in the prior year applies to events from the past, making 'retroactive' the exact correct term.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the prefix 'retro-', the root 'act', and the suffix '-ive'.
The prefix 'retro-' means backward or behind, 'act' means to do or perform, and '-ive' forms an adjective meaning having the nature or tendency of an action.
Breaking down morphological units establishes the structural foundation of the word's meaning.
2
Synthesize the affix and root definitions to establish the complete term meaning.
The combined word means having an effect or operation on things that happened in the past.
Combining morphological components produces a clear definition of an action taking effect backward in time.
3
Apply the derived word to the sentence context.
The term 'retroactive' fits both grammatically as an adjective and contextually to describe a policy applied to past training.
The sentence explicitly refers to awarding credit for events in the previous year, requiring a term that denotes past-dated application.

Key Concept

Analyzing Latin prefixes (retro-) and derivational suffixes (-ive) to determine word meaning
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Prefix and Suffix Analysis

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