How does context clues use morphology (prefixes/suffixes) to infer meaning?

• A. Prefixes and suffixes modify base words; recognizing them helps deduce meanings
• B. Context clues rely only on nearby synonyms
• C. Morphology tells you the exact dictionary meanings without context
• D. Prefixes and suffixes never change base word meaning

Answer: (C)

Morphology helps you infer meaning by showing how a base word is altered with prefixes and suffixes, and by using those hints alongside the surrounding words. Recognizing that prefixes often signal opposite or negation (like un-, dis-, or in-) and that suffixes can change the part of speech or meaning (such as -ness turning an adjective into a noun, or -able indicating capability) lets you parse unfamiliar words in context. For example, seeing disorganized in a sentence signals not being organized, even if you don’t know every nuance of the word. But morphology by itself doesn’t yield a precise dictionary sense; the exact meaning is sharpened by the nearby words and ideas in the sentence. That’s why relying solely on morphological clues to get the full meaning isn’t enough—the surrounding context ties the affixes to the intended sense. By combining knowledge of prefixes and suffixes with the context, you can most accurately infer what the word means.