30 Verbal Reasoning questions — Part 1: 15 synonym, Part 2: 15 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.
Note: The real ISEE Primary Level (for applicants to grades 2–4) is Auditory Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and a writing sample — it has no Verbal Reasoning section, so the real Primary-level test never asks a synonym or sentence-completion question. This practice test borrows that question style from the Lower/Middle/Upper Verbal Reasoning format purely to help younger students build vocabulary early, ahead of the level where it is actually tested that way.
Select the best synonym for the word “misuse”:
A — abuse. “misuse” means v. to use something in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose. Study “misuse” →
Select the best synonym for the word “sturdy”:
A — robust. “sturdy” means adj. strong and not easily damaged. Study “sturdy” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “rejoice”:
D — celebrate. “rejoice” means v. to feel or show great joy or delight. Study “rejoice” →
Select the best synonym for the word “foretell”:
D — prophesy. “foretell” means v. to predict the future. Study “foretell” →
Select the best synonym for the word “nationality”:
A — citizenship. “nationality” means n. the status of belonging to a particular nation. Study “nationality” →
Select the best synonym for the word “slip”:
C — skid. “slip” means v. to slide accidentally and lose balance. Study “slip” →
Select the best synonym for the word “sinister”:
C — menacing. “sinister” means adj. giving the impression that something harmful will happen. Study “sinister” →
Select the best synonym for the word “compare”:
B — juxtapose. “compare” means v. to examine similarities and differences. Study “compare” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “landslide”:
D — avalanche. “landslide” means n. the sliding down of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff. Study “landslide” →
Select the best synonym for the word “unstated”:
A — implied. “unstated” means adj. not expressed or declared openly. Study “unstated” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “penalty”:
A — punishment. “penalty” means n. a punishment for breaking a rule or law. Study “penalty” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “noble”:
A — honorable. “noble” means adj. having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles. Study “noble” →
Select the best synonym for the word “crossbreed”:
A — hybridize. “crossbreed” means v. to produce an animal or plant by mating or hybridizing two different species or varieties. Study “crossbreed” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “energy”:
C — vigor. “energy” means n. the strength and vitality required for physical or mental activity. Study “energy” →
Select the best synonym for the word “distressed”:
C — anguished. “distressed” means adj. suffering from anxiety, sorrow, or pain. Study “distressed” →
The ______ pirate was feared and hated all along the rocky coast.
A — notorious. “notorious” means adj. famous for something bad. Study “notorious” →
The worried mother had to ______ the child for running into the busy street.
D — scold. “scold” means v. to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. Study “scold” →
A thick, hard shell helps ______ the soft turtle from hungry animals.
B — protect. “protect” means v. to keep safe from harm. Study “protect” →
The witness gave a clear ______ to the police about what she had seen.
B — statement. “statement” means n. something that is said or written formally. Study “statement” →
Because of his ______, he simply could not read the distant road sign.
D — shortsightedness. “shortsightedness” means n. the condition of being unable to see far; lack of foresight. Study “shortsightedness” →
On the color wheel, black is the exact ______ of pure white.
A — opposite. “opposite” means adj. completely different; n. a person or thing that is completely different. Study “opposite” →
Despite her great fame, the ______ singer never once bragged about her talent.
C — modest. “modest” means adj. not too proud or confident about oneself. Study “modest” →
A rooster is the ______ bird, while a hen is the female one.
C — male. “male” means adj. relating to the sex that does not give birth. Study “male” →
The tiny brown seeds will soon ______ if the soil is warm and moist.
A — sprout. “sprout” means v. to begin to grow. Study “sprout” →
She hurried down to the post office to ______ the package to her friend.
A — send. “send” means v. to cause something to go or be taken to a particular destination. Study “send” →
They decided to ______ the very last piece of cake between the two of them.
C — split. “split” means v. to divide or break into parts. Study “split” →
She tied a strong ______ in the rope to keep the little boat secure.
D — knot. “knot” means n. a fastening made by tying a piece of string or rope. Study “knot” →
The team played so ______ that they lost the game by twenty points.
B — badly. “badly” means adv. in a poor or unsatisfactory way. Study “badly” →
He proudly showed us his large ______ of rare old silver coins.
C — collection. “collection” means n. a group of things gathered together. Study “collection” →
The ______ wool blanket kept them very warm on the freezing winter night.
B — thick. “thick” means adj. having a large distance between sides. Study “thick” →
Score:
Every question below is now marked up: the correct answer is highlighted in red, and any option you picked that was wrong is highlighted in blue.
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.
The real ISEE Primary Level (for applicants to grades 2–4) is Auditory Comprehension, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and a writing sample — it has no Verbal Reasoning section, so the real Primary-level test never asks a synonym or sentence-completion question. This practice test borrows that question style from the Lower/Middle/Upper Verbal Reasoning format purely to help younger students build vocabulary early, ahead of the level where it is actually tested that way.
30 — Part 1 is 15 synonym questions, Part 2 is 15 sentence-completion questions, the same roughly-even split the real ISEE Verbal Reasoning section uses.
No. Every Primary 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.