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 “bodily”:
A — physical. “bodily” means adj. relating to the body. Study “bodily” →
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” →
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” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “ending”:
C — conclusion. “ending” means n. the final part of something. Study “ending” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “unpleasant”:
D — disagreeable. “unpleasant” means adj. not enjoyable or agreeable. Study “unpleasant” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “horrifying”:
C — terrifying. “horrifying” means adj. causing horror or shock. Study “horrifying” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “misconception”:
A — misunderstanding. “misconception” means n. a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. Study “misconception” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “intimidating”:
D — menacing. “intimidating” means adj. making you feel frightened or nervous. Study “intimidating” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “questioner”:
B — interrogator. “questioner” means n. a person who asks questions. Study “questioner” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “campus”:
C — grounds. “campus” means n. the grounds and buildings of a university or college. Study “campus” →
Select the best synonym for the word “unbroken”:
A — continuous. “unbroken” means adj. not interrupted or disturbed. Study “unbroken” →
Select the best synonym for the word “spiritual”:
C — religious. “spiritual” means adj. relating to the spirit or soul. Study “spiritual” →
Select the best synonym for the word “bargain”:
B — deal. “bargain” means n. an agreement between two or more parties as to what each will do for the other. Study “bargain” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “global”:
C — worldwide. “global” means adj. relating to the whole world; worldwide. Study “global” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “fearful”:
B — frightened. “fearful” means adj. feeling afraid or anxious. Study “fearful” →
Without any treatment, the small cut may slowly ______ and become infected.
C — worsen. “worsen” means v. to become or make something worse. Study “worsen” →
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” →
The ______ eater refused any meal that was not cooked exactly right.
C — fussy. “fussy” means adj. too concerned about details. Study “fussy” →
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” →
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” →
The two strong young boys began to ______ playfully on the soft green grass.
A — wrestle. “wrestle” means v. to struggle physically with someone, trying to throw or force them to the ground. Study “wrestle” →
Regular ______ keeps the old family car running smoothly for years.
D — maintenance. “maintenance” means n. the process of keeping something in good condition. Study “maintenance” →
Not a single soldier would ______ to disobey the very strict general.
B — dare. “dare” means v. to have the courage to do something. Study “dare” →
You must ______ very carefully before you throw the sharp dart.
A — aim. “aim” means v. to point or direct at a target. Study “aim” →
Because of the difficult ______, the whole trip had to be postponed.
D — circumstances. “circumstances” means n. the conditions or facts affecting a situation. Study “circumstances” →
A few kind words of ______ helped the nervous singer find her courage.
B — encouragement. “encouragement” means n. the act of giving support or confidence. Study “encouragement” →
The two nations had been each other's bitter ______ for many long years.
D — enemy. “enemy” means n. a person who is actively opposed or hostile. Study “enemy” →
The shy writer chose to ______ himself in a cabin to finish his novel.
D — seclude. “seclude” means v. to keep someone away from other people. Study “seclude” →
He bought a clever new ______ that could peel and slice apples by itself.
A — gadget. “gadget” means n. a small mechanical or electronic device. Study “gadget” →
The rude crowd began to ______ loudly at the nervous young performer.
D — jeer. “jeer” means v. to make fun of someone in a loud and unkind way. Study “jeer” →
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.