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Multiple Choice

The suffix -ous is described as meaning:

The suffix -ous signals that a word describes something as being full of or having the quality of the root idea. It turns a base into an adjective that conveys that the thing possesses that characteristic. For example, dangerous means full of danger, glorious means full of glory, and nervous suggests having nerves or being full of nervous energy. That’s why “full of” is the correct interpretation here. The idea of “state of” would come from other suffixes like -ness or -hood, while describing something as “like” would come from -like to indicate resemblance. The suffix -ous isn’t used to mean those concepts, so it best aligns with the meaning “full of.”

The suffix -ous signals that a word describes something as being full of or having the quality of the root idea. It turns a base into an adjective that conveys that the thing possesses that characteristic. For example, dangerous means full of danger, glorious means full of glory, and nervous suggests having nerves or being full of nervous energy. That’s why “full of” is the correct interpretation here.

The idea of “state of” would come from other suffixes like -ness or -hood, while describing something as “like” would come from -like to indicate resemblance. The suffix -ous isn’t used to mean those concepts, so it best aligns with the meaning “full of.”