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Question

Difficulty: EasyWord Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

The committee rejected the proposed plan because it was deemed completely __________, as the project manager failed to account for basic safety standards. Which of the following words correctly completes the sentence using the appropriate negative prefix?

  1. irresponsibleAnswer
  2. B
    unresponsible
  3. C
    disresponsible
  4. D
    inresponsible

Answer

irresponsible
The correct form is 'irresponsible'. In English morphology, the negative prefix 'in-' undergoes phonetic assimilation and becomes 'ir-' when combined with root words starting with the letter 'r'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the base root word and the required meaning shift.
The root word is 'responsible', and the context requires its negative adjective form.
The sentence states the plan was rejected due to a failure to meet safety standards.
2
Apply morphological prefix rules for negation.
The standard negative prefix 'in-' assimilates to 'ir-' when prefixed to words starting with the liquid consonant 'r'.
English morphological rules specify that 'in-' changes to 'ir-' before roots beginning with 'r' (e.g., relevant -> irrelevant, responsible -> irresponsible).

Key Concept

Prefix Assimilation in Word Formation
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Topics

Word Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

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