New Hampshire Foundations of Reading Practice Test 2026 – Complete Exam Preparation

Affixes are groups of letters that are added to root words to create new words or alter their meanings. They can be found in the form of prefixes, which are added to the beginning of root words, and suffixes, which are added to the end. For example, in the word 'unhappy,' 'un-' is a prefix that modifies the meaning of the root word 'happy' to indicate a negative state. Similarly, in the word 'happiness,' the suffix '-ness' changes the adjective 'happy' into a noun. This demonstrates how affixes serve as tools for expanding vocabulary and enhancing language comprehension, making option B the correct choice.

Context clues, difficult words, and definitions of unfamiliar words, while relevant to language and reading, do not accurately define what affixes are.