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.
Choose the best synonym for the word “scope”:
C — range. “scope” means n. the extent of the area or subject matter that something deals with. Study “scope” →
Your library card will ______ at the very end of this month.
B — expire. “expire” means v. to come to an end or stop being valid. Study “expire” →
Select the best synonym for the word “oversee”:
A — supervise. “oversee” means v. to watch and direct a task or activity. Study “oversee” →
Even the strongest runners begin to ______ near the end of the long race.
C — tire. “tire” means v. to become weary or exhausted. Study “tire” →
Select the best synonym for the word “lowered”:
D — reduced. “lowered” means v. past tense of lower; made something go down. Study “lowered” →
The whole room was decorated in a simple, ______ style with soft colors.
D — tasteful. “tasteful” means adj. showing good aesthetic judgment. Study “tasteful” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “bud”:
A — sprout. “bud” means n. a small part of a plant that develops into a flower or leaf. Study “bud” →
The stubborn old ______ flatly refused to change any of the ancient customs.
C — traditionalist. “traditionalist” means n. a person who supports the maintenance of tradition. Study “traditionalist” →
Select the best synonym for the word “possession”:
D — ownership. “possession” means n. the state of having or owning something. Study “possession” →
A dog's ______ of smell is far, far stronger than a human's.
C — sense. “sense” means n. a faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus. Study “sense” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “antique”:
C — relic. “antique” means n. an old object that is valuable. Study “antique” →
Her loud shout came back as a faint ______ from the far canyon wall.
C — echo. “echo” means n. a sound that is reflected off a surface and heard again. Study “echo” →
Select the best synonym for the word “handicap”:
B — disability. “handicap” means n. a condition that limits a person''s abilities. Study “handicap” →
The long, hot workday was so ______ that she fell asleep the moment she sat.
D — draining. “draining” means adj. causing someone to feel very tired. Study “draining” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “braid”:
A — plait. “braid” means n. a length of hair or other material interwoven together. Study “braid” →
Saying that he ate a whole mountain of food was a wild ______.
D — exaggeration. “exaggeration” means n. a statement that makes something seem more important or serious than it really is. Study “exaggeration” →
Select the best synonym for the word “finish”:
B — complete. “finish” means v. to complete something. Study “finish” →
The ______ stood quietly before the stern judge in the courtroom.
D — accused. “accused” means n. a person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime. Study “accused” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “dilute”:
B — weaken. “dilute” means v. to make a liquid thinner or weaker by adding water. Study “dilute” →
The excited children ran ______ through the halls, laughing and shouting.
C — noisily. “noisily” means adv. in a loud or disruptive manner. Study “noisily” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “protrude”:
A — bulge. “protrude” means v. to stick out. Study “protrude” →
The very talented artist can ______ beautiful sculptures out of soft clay.
D — create. “create” means v. to make something new. Study “create” →
Select the best synonym for the word “bombard”:
D — assault. “bombard” means v. to attack continuously with bombs or words. Study “bombard” →
She suddenly ______ that her house keys were missing from her bag.
B — noticed. “noticed” means v. became aware of something. Study “noticed” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “size”:
B — dimension. “size” means n. how large or small something is. Study “size” →
The ______ rain fell for three whole days without a single pause.
A — unceasing. “unceasing” means adj. never stopping. Study “unceasing” →
Select the best synonym for the word “relate”:
A — connect. “relate” means v. to show or make a connection between two or more things. Study “relate” →
The main ______ of the whole long lesson today was ancient Egypt.
A — subject. “subject” means n. a person or thing that is being discussed or studied. Study “subject” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “motivate”:
A — inspire. “motivate” means v. to provide someone with a reason to do something. Study “motivate” →
After the long, hot walk, a cold glass of water quenched her ______.
B — thirst. “thirst” means n. the feeling of needing to drink. Study “thirst” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “bodily”:
A — physical. “bodily” means adj. relating to the body. Study “bodily” →
Without any treatment, the small cut may slowly ______ and become infected.
C — worsen. “worsen” means v. to become or make something worse. Study “worsen” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “breathe”:
A — inhale. “breathe” means v. to take air into the lungs and then expel it. Study “breathe” →
In deep winter, the hungry wolves went ______ for deer in the snowy woods.
D — hunting. “hunting” means n. the activity of chasing and killing animals. Study “hunting” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “gloomy”:
D — dismal. “gloomy” means adj. dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening. Study “gloomy” →
The ______ eater refused any meal that was not cooked exactly right.
C — fussy. “fussy” means adj. too concerned about details. Study “fussy” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “ending”:
C — conclusion. “ending” means n. the final part of something. Study “ending” →
The blurry photo was so ______ that no one could tell who it was.
A — unclear. “unclear” means adj. not easy to understand or see. Study “unclear” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “unpleasant”:
D — disagreeable. “unpleasant” means adj. not enjoyable or agreeable. Study “unpleasant” →
The tired farmers hoped for a rich ______ of wheat after the good rains.
A — crop. “crop” means n. plants grown for food or other products. Study “crop” →
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.