Understanding Prefixes in English

The question asks us to choose the correct prefix to complete the sentence: "This assignment is ___complete and needs to be finished at once." The sentence implies that the assignment is not fully done and requires immediate completion. Therefore, we need a prefix that indicates the opposite of "complete" or a lack of completion.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at the meaning of each prefix provided in the options and how they combine with the word "complete":

• mis-: This prefix usually means "wrongly" or "badly". For example, "understand" becomes "misunderstand" (to understand wrongly). Combining "mis-" with "complete" would give "miscomplete", which is not a standard English word and does not fit the required meaning.
• pre-: This prefix means "before". For example, "view" becomes "preview" (to view before). Combining "pre-" with "complete" would give "precomplete", which is also not a standard English word and does not fit the required meaning.
• in-: This prefix can mean "not", "without", or "lack of". For example, "visible" becomes "invisible" (not visible), and "active" becomes "inactive" (not active). Combining "in-" with "complete" forms the word "incomplete", which means "not complete" or "not finished". This fits the context of the sentence perfectly, as the assignment needs to be finished, implying it is currently not complete.
• im-: This prefix also means "not" and is often used before words starting with the letters 'p', 'b', or 'm'. For example, "possible" becomes "impossible" (not possible). While it means "not", the correct prefix for "complete" to mean "not complete" is "in-", not "im-". "Imcomplete" is not the standard or correct form in English.

Identifying the Correct Prefix for 'Complete'

Based on the analysis of the prefixes and the meaning required by the sentence, the prefix that correctly negates "complete" to mean "not finished" or "not done" is "in-".

When we add the prefix "in-" to "complete", we get the word incomplete.

The word incomplete means "not completed" or "not finished".

Let's put "incomplete" back into the sentence:

"This assignment is incomplete and needs to be finished at once."

This sentence makes perfect sense in English. The assignment is not finished (incomplete) and therefore must be finished right away.

Conclusion

The appropriate prefix to complete the given sentence is "in-", forming the word "incomplete".