40 Verbal Reasoning questions — 20 synonym, 20 sentence completion — in the ISEE's own four-option format. Every answer is explained, and every question links to its word's full study page.
Select the best synonym for the word “taken”:
A — seized. “taken” means v. past participle of take; to have captured or seized. Study “taken” →
There was a friendly ______ between the two schools' soccer teams.
A — rivalry. “rivalry” means n. competition for the same objective or for superiority. Study “rivalry” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “design”:
A — plan. “design” means v. to plan and make decisions about something; n. a plan or drawing. Study “design” →
Their playful new puppy brought great ______ to the whole family.
C — happiness. “happiness” means n. the state of being happy. Study “happiness” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “slide”:
D — glide. “slide” means v. to move smoothly along a surface. Study “slide” →
Her ______ words gave the nervous singer the courage to go on stage.
B — supporting. “supporting” means adj. giving help or assistance. Study “supporting” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “silly”:
D — foolish. “silly” means adj. lacking in seriousness or common sense. Study “silly” →
The orchestra played beautiful ______ music by Mozart and Bach.
D — classical. “classical” means adj. relating to ancient Greek or Roman literature, art, or culture. Study “classical” →
Select the best synonym for the word “retreat”:
C — withdraw. “retreat” means v. to move back or withdraw. Study “retreat” →
The old fortune-teller claimed that she could ______ exactly what was to come.
B — foretell. “foretell” means v. to predict the future. Study “foretell” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “stated”:
D — declared. “stated” means adj. clearly expressed or declared. Study “stated” →
As a proud ______ of the country, she voted in every single election.
B — citizen. “citizen” means n. a legally recognized subject or national of a state. Study “citizen” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “jammed”:
D — stuck. “jammed” means adj. stuck and unable to move. Study “jammed” →
The sunny island with its warm beaches felt like a true ______.
D — paradise. “paradise” means n. a place or state of perfect happiness. Study “paradise” →
Select the best synonym for the word “deduction”:
D — inference. “deduction” means n. the process of reaching a conclusion by reasoning. Study “deduction” →
The movie was full of ______ creatures like dragons and unicorns.
B — fantastical. “fantastical” means adj. strange and wonderful, like something from a fantasy. Study “fantastical” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “productive”:
A — fruitful. “productive” means adj. producing or able to produce large amounts of goods. Study “productive” →
The sharp lawyer raised a strong ______ to the very unfair question.
A — objection. “objection” means n. a reason for disagreeing. Study “objection” →
Select the best synonym for the word “someone”:
C — somebody. “someone” means pron. an unspecified person. Study “someone” →
The long, dull, ______ meeting finally ended without a single decision.
B — unproductive. “unproductive” means adj. not producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities. Study “unproductive” →
Select the best synonym for the word “form”:
B — shape. “form” means n. the shape or structure of something. Study “form” →
After many hours of ______, the tired suspect finally told the police everything.
B — questioning. “questioning” means n. the action of asking questions. Study “questioning” →
Select the best synonym for the word “wrestle”:
A — grapple. “wrestle” means v. to struggle physically with someone, trying to throw or force them to the ground. Study “wrestle” →
The tall tower of blocks was so ______ that it soon came crashing down.
C — unstable. “unstable” means adj. likely to change or fail; not stable. Study “unstable” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “confirm”:
A — verify. “confirm” means v. to establish the truth or correctness of something. Study “confirm” →
She was ______ moved by the reunion of the lost dog and its owner.
C — emotionally. “emotionally” means adv. in a way that relates to feelings. Study “emotionally” →
Select the best synonym for the word “surprise”:
C — shock. “surprise” means n. an unexpected event or thing. Study “surprise” →
She sat quietly in her ______ seat at the very front of the classroom.
B — usual. “usual” means adj. commonly occurring or done; customary. Study “usual” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “influenced”:
C — swayed. “influenced” means adj. affected by external factors. Study “influenced” →
She soon realized that all of her worry had been completely ______.
C — unnecessary. “unnecessary” means adj. not needed or required. Study “unnecessary” →
Select the best synonym for the word “giving”:
D — generous. “giving” means adj. providing love or other emotional support; generous. Study “giving” →
A ______ breakfast of fruit and oats gives you real energy for the day.
B — wholesome. “wholesome” means adj. promoting health or well-being. Study “wholesome” →
Select the best synonym for the word “earn”:
D — gain. “earn” means v. to receive money for work that you do. Study “earn” →
Reading and writing are ______ skills that every young child must learn.
B — foundational. “foundational” means adj. forming the base or core of something. Study “foundational” →
Select the best synonym for the word “senior”:
A — elder. “senior” means adj. having a higher rank or older in age. Study “senior” →
The clown's silly tricks filled all the little children with ______.
C — amusement. “amusement” means n. the state of finding something funny or entertaining. Study “amusement” →
Select the best synonym for the word “stroll”:
C — saunter. “stroll” means v. to walk in a relaxed way. Study “stroll” →
There was something deeply ______ about the empty house's sudden silence.
D — unsettling. “unsettling” means adj. causing anxiety or uneasiness. Study “unsettling” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “cost-effective”:
B — economical. “cost-effective” means adj. producing good results without costing a lot of money. Study “cost-effective” →
The big truck slowly pulled a large ______ full of hay down the country road.
B — trailer. “trailer” means n. a vehicle without an engine, pulled by another vehicle. Study “trailer” →
No. These are original synonym and sentence-completion questions written from the iSEE Vocab word bank, in the ISEE's own four-option Verbal Reasoning format. No retired or copyrighted ISEE/SSAT questions appear anywhere on this site.
40 — 20 synonym questions and 20 sentence-completion questions, the same roughly-even split the real ISEE Verbal Reasoning section uses.
No. Every Basic Level practice test on this site draws from a disjoint slice of the word bank, so Test 1, Test 2 and every other numbered test at this level use entirely different questions.
Yes. The ISEE gives no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank scores the same as a wrong guess, which is zero — so answer every question even when you have to guess.