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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerb and Adverb Suffixes

The maintenance supervisor instructed the team to rectify the wiring faults before powering on the generator. In this sentence, what does the word rectify most nearly mean?

  1. A
    to recite aloud from memory
  2. to correct or make rightAnswer
  3. C
    to worsen or impair
  4. D
    to construct or erect vertically

Answer

to correct or make right
The word 'rectify' is formed from the root 'rect-' (meaning straight or right) and the verb suffix '-ify' (meaning to make or cause to become). Therefore, 'rectify' means 'to correct or make right', which fits the context of resolving wiring faults.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the morphological components of the target word
The word 'rectify' consists of the base root 'rect-' (meaning right or straight) and the verb-forming suffix '-ify' (meaning to make or cause to become).
Deconstructing affixes and roots reveals the core grammatical function and semantic definition of the word.
2
Synthesize the affix meanings and apply sentence context clues
Combining 'rect-' and '-ify' yields 'to make right' or 'to correct', which aligns with resolving wiring faults before operating machinery.
Verifying the morphological meaning against the surrounding context confirms the exact meaning required.

Key Concept

Verb suffixes such as '-ify' attach to root words to form action verbs meaning 'to make' or 'to cause to become'.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Verb and Adverb Suffixes

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