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Multiple Choice

The root meaning 'short' is:

The idea being tested is recognizing the Latin root that means short: brev-. This root comes from brevis, and it shows up in words that convey being short or concise, like brief or brevity, and even abbreviate, all pointing to reduced length or duration. That’s why brev- is the correct root for the meaning “short.” The other endings are suffixes, not the core meaning. -let often signals a smaller form (a diminutive), -ous adds the idea of being full of something, and -ness turns an adjective into a noun describing a state. They don’t themselves carry the concept of short, so they don’t fit as the root for meaning short.

The idea being tested is recognizing the Latin root that means short: brev-. This root comes from brevis, and it shows up in words that convey being short or concise, like brief or brevity, and even abbreviate, all pointing to reduced length or duration. That’s why brev- is the correct root for the meaning “short.”

The other endings are suffixes, not the core meaning. -let often signals a smaller form (a diminutive), -ous adds the idea of being full of something, and -ness turns an adjective into a noun describing a state. They don’t themselves carry the concept of short, so they don’t fit as the root for meaning short.