Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardCommon Prefixes

The technician detected an imperceptible fluctuation in the electrical current. In this sentence, the word imperceptible most nearly means:

  1. A
    clearly visible and easily detected
  2. too subtle or slight to be noticedAnswer
  3. C
    flawed and containing structural defects
  4. D
    deeply penetrating an entire system

Answer

too subtle or slight to be noticed
The word 'imperceptible' combines the negative prefix 'im-' (meaning 'not') with 'perceptible' (capable of being perceived). Therefore, something that is imperceptible is too slight, subtle, or gradual to be detected.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Isolate the prefix, root, and suffix in the target word
The word breaks down into the prefix 'im-', the root 'percept' (perceive/detect), and the suffix '-ible' (capable of).
Analyzing the morphological components reveals the core meaning of the compound word.
2
Determine the meaning of the assimilated prefix 'im-' in this context
The prefix 'im-' is a phonetic variation of the negative prefix 'in-', meaning 'not' or 'without'.
Before labial consonants like 'p', the negative prefix 'in-' assimilates to 'im-'.
3
Combine the prefix meaning with the base word
'im-' (not) + 'perceptible' (capable of being perceived) means 'not capable of being perceived or noticed'.
Synthesizing the elements confirms that an imperceptible change is one too small or subtle to detect.

Key Concept

Morphological analysis of the assimilated negative prefix 'im-' (meaning 'not')
Estimated Time:45s
Rate this question

Topics

Common Prefixes

More questions from this topic