Question

test (online): two kinds (lms graded)

language development: word study
identify the choice that best answers the question

which pair of definitions is most likely to be accurate? base your answer on your knowledge of the latin prefix in-.

a if solvent means “having money to pay one’s bills,” then insolvent means “having more than enough money.”
b if consolable means “able to be comforted,” then inconsolable means “able to give comfort to others.”
c if comprehensible means “understandable,” then incomprehensible means “easily understood.”
d if adequate means “average; sufficient, just enough,” then inadequate means “not enough.”

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the Latin prefix "in -", which often means "not" or "opposite of".

• Option A: "Solvent" means able to pay debts. "Insolvent" should mean not able to pay debts, but the option says "having more than enough money" (incorrect, as that's "solvent" with excess, not "in - solvent").
• Option B: "Consolable" means able to be comforted. "Inconsolable" should mean not able to be comforted, but the option says "able to give comfort to others" (incorrect, that's a different meaning).
• Option C: "Comprehensible" means understandable. "Incomprehensible" should mean not understandable, but the option says "easily understood" (incorrect, same as "comprehensible").
• Option D: "Adequate" means sufficient. "Inadequate" with the prefix "in -" (not) means not sufficient (not enough), which matches the definition.

Answer:

D. If adequate means "average; sufficient, just enough," then inadequate means "not enough."