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Question

Difficulty: MediumPrefix and Suffix Analysis

The engineer explained that adding heavy insulation would counteract the heat loss during winter. In this context, what does the word counteract most nearly mean?

  1. A
    Encounter
  2. NeutralizeAnswer
  3. C
    Accelerate
  4. D
    Calculate

Answer

Neutralize
The prefix 'counter-' means 'against' or 'in opposition to', and the base 'act' means 'to do' or 'to operate'. Therefore, 'counteract' means to act against something to reduce its effect, making 'Neutralize' the precise synonym.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the prefix and root components of the target word.
The word 'counteract' is composed of the prefix 'counter-' (meaning 'against', 'opposite', or 'in return') and the base verb 'act' (meaning 'to perform an action or exert energy').
Morphological decomposition isolates the core meaning of the word's building blocks.
2
Synthesize the morphological meaning with the sentence context.
Acting against heat loss means working to offset, balance out, or neutralize its effect.
Contextual integration verifies which synonym best captures the combined affix meaning.

Key Concept

Analyzing directional and oppositional prefixes like 'counter-' to determine word meanings
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Prefix and Suffix Analysis

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