Question

read the paragraph.

babylon was a city - state when hammurabi began ruling it. while he was king, it became an empire. to establish order and justice throughout the land, he created a code of laws. his code prescribed the fines and punishments for a variety of offenses.

the prefix pre - means \before\ or \beforehand.\ the root scrib means \write\ or \carve into a surface.\ based on this information, what does prescribe mean in the paragraph?

• record in advance
• warn people about
• give information about
• set down as final

Explanation:

1. Break down "prescribe": prefix pre- (before/ beforehand) + root scrib (write/carve).
2. Combine the parts: "write beforehand".
3. In the context of Hammurabi's code, writing down fines/punishments beforehand means establishing official, final rules for justice.
4. Match to options: "set down as final" fits this context and the word's etymology best.

Answer:

set down as final