Question

sort the words according to the meanings of their shared roots. degrade capacious encapsulate capacity retrograde overcapacity step hold

Explanation:

The root - "grad" means step, as seen in "degrade" (to lower in grade or status, a step - like movement downwards) and "retrograde" (to move backwards or in a reverse direction, like taking steps backwards). The root - "cap" or "capac" means hold, as in "capacious" (able to hold a large amount), "capacity" (the ability to hold or contain), "encapsulate" (to enclose or hold in a capsule - like structure), and "overcapacity" (an excessive ability to hold or contain).

Answer:

step: degrade, retrograde
hold: capacious, capacity, encapsulate, overcapacity