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.
Choose the best synonym for the word “tap”:
D — pat. “tap” means v. to hit lightly. Study “tap” →
Select the best synonym for the word “polished”:
D — gleaming. “polished” means adj. made smooth and shiny by rubbing. Study “polished” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “shade”:
D — shadow. “shade” means n. an area that is dark and cool because the sun''s light is blocked. Study “shade” →
Select the best synonym for the word “roll”:
A — tumble. “roll” means v. to move by turning over and over. Study “roll” →
Select the best synonym for the word “inspiring”:
B — uplifting. “inspiring” means adj. making you feel enthusiastic or excited about something. Study “inspiring” →
Select the best synonym for the word “commit”:
B — execute. “commit” means v. to carry out or do. Study “commit” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “people”:
A — humans. “people” means n. human beings in general. Study “people” →
Select the best synonym for the word “past”:
A — history. “past” means n. the time before now. Study “past” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “optimistic”:
A — hopeful. “optimistic” means adj. hopeful and confident about the future. Study “optimistic” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “performance”:
A — execution. “performance” means n. the act of performing a task or function. Study “performance” →
Select the best synonym for the word “taken”:
A — seized. “taken” means v. past participle of take; to have captured or seized. Study “taken” →
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” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “slide”:
D — glide. “slide” means v. to move smoothly along a surface. Study “slide” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “silly”:
D — foolish. “silly” means adj. lacking in seriousness or common sense. Study “silly” →
Select the best synonym for the word “retreat”:
C — withdraw. “retreat” means v. to move back or withdraw. Study “retreat” →
The balloon will ______ if you keep blowing more air into it.
A — burst. “burst” means v. to break open or apart suddenly. Study “burst” →
The neat, ______ rows of desks filled the very tidy little classroom.
A — ordered. “ordered” means adj. arranged in a neat or organized way. Study “ordered” →
The navy set up a tight ______ to stop any ships from entering the port.
C — blockade. “blockade” means n. an act of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving. Study “blockade” →
The talented singers blended their voices together in perfect ______.
D — harmony. “harmony” means n. a pleasing combination of different things. Study “harmony” →
The ______ cave was so pitch black that they needed a bright torch.
D — dark. “dark” means adj. having little or no light. Study “dark” →
There is a very close ______ between eating well and staying healthy.
C — relation. “relation” means n. the ways in which two or more people or groups behave towards each other. Study “relation” →
A tiny seed can grow into a ______ plant with the right care and water.
C — living. “living” means adj. having life; not dead. Study “living” →
The school ______ swept the empty halls and locked up every night.
A — custodian. “custodian” means n. a person who takes care of a building or property. Study “custodian” →
His knowledge of the topic was only ______, missing all the deeper details.
A — surface-level. “surface-level” means adj. relating to the outermost layer or appearance. Study “surface-level” →
In autumn, the busy squirrels ______ nuts for the long, cold winter.
B — gather. “gather” means v. to collect or bring together. Study “gather” →
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” →
Their playful new puppy brought great ______ to the whole family.
C — happiness. “happiness” means n. the state of being happy. Study “happiness” →
Her ______ words gave the nervous singer the courage to go on stage.
B — supporting. “supporting” means adj. giving help or assistance. Study “supporting” →
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” →
The old fortune-teller claimed that she could ______ exactly what was to come.
B — foretell. “foretell” means v. to predict the future. Study “foretell” →
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.