FTCE Reading K-12 Practice Exam

The correct answer is indeed a syllable that alters the meaning of a root word. A prefix is a specific type of affix that is added to the beginning of a root word to modify its meaning. For example, in the word "unhappy," "un-" is the prefix that changes the meaning of the root word "happy" to its opposite. This highlights the role of prefixes in modifying and expanding vocabulary through the alteration of root words.

The other options do not accurately describe what a prefix is. Standalone words do not serve the same function as prefixes; they are complete words that can stand on their own without needing a root. Phonological skills pertain to the awareness and manipulation of sounds in language, rather than the morphological aspect of word formation that prefixes represent. Methods for teaching reading comprehension focus on strategies for understanding text rather than the structural components of words like prefixes.