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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

Complete the sentence by filling in the blank with the appropriate negative adjective derived from the base verb 'refute'.

Answer:The forensic investigation provided 【irrefutable】 evidence that conclusively established the defendant's innocence beyond any doubt.

Answer

The correct word is 'irrefutable', formed by attaching the negative prefix 'ir-' and the adjectival suffix '-able' to the base word 'refute'.
The term 'irrefutable' is formed using the assimilated negative prefix 'ir-' (a variant of 'in-' used before words starting with 'r') and the adjectival suffix '-able', correctly describing evidence that cannot be disproved.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the syntactic role and base word required for the blank.
An adjective describing 'evidence' is required, based on the root verb 'refute'.
The sentence requires a word indicating that the evidence cannot be disproved or argued against.
2
Apply morphological rules for prefix assimilation to the root 'refute'.
The Latin-derived negative prefix 'in-' assimilates to 'ir-' before roots starting with the liquid consonant 'r'.
English morphological constraints mandate that 'in-' converts to 'ir-' before 'r' (e.g., responsible -> irresponsible, refute -> irrefutable).
3
Attach the appropriate derivational suffix to form an adjective.
Dropping the final silent 'e' in 'refute' and adding '-able' yields 'refutable'; adding the prefix gives 'irrefutable'.
The suffix '-able' denotes capability, so 'irrefutable' means 'not capable of being refuted'.

Key Concept

Prefix assimilation and adjectival suffixation in word formation
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Word Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

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