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Question

Difficulty: MediumWord Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

During the official arbitration proceedings, the panel insisted on selecting an arbitrator whose attitude toward the dispute was entirely impartial and free from personal bias. Which word formed with the appropriate prefix correctly describes a person who has no personal or financial stake in the outcome?

  1. disinterestedAnswer
  2. B
    uninterested
  3. C
    noninterested
  4. D
    misinterested

Answer

The word 'disinterested' correctly describes someone who is impartial and free from personal stake or bias.
The word 'disinterested' uses the prefix 'dis-' to mean free from self-interest, bias, or personal involvement, making it the precise morphological choice for describing an impartial arbitrator.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context and morphological requirements of the question.
The sentence requires an adjective describing an individual who is impartial and has no selfish motive or personal stake in a legal or official outcome.
The context specifies an arbitrator who must remain neutral during proceedings.
2
Examine the prefix function in the options to distinguish between paronyms.
The prefix 'dis-' combined with 'interested' forms 'disinterested', which formally denotes freedom from personal bias or self-interest.
In standard English morphology, 'dis-' denotes separation from personal advantage, whereas 'un-' denotes a complete lack of interest or attention.
3
Evaluate distractors for paronym confusion and illegal affixation.
'Uninterested' means indifferent or bored, while 'noninterested' and 'misinterested' are ungrammatical prefix combinations.
Selecting 'uninterested' is a common paronym error, and the other forms violate standard prefix attachment rules.

Key Concept

Prefix negation and paronym differentiation (dis- vs. un-)
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Topics

Word Formation: Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots

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