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 “authoritarian”:
B — dictatorial. “authoritarian” means adj. favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority. Study “authoritarian” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “landlord”:
C — proprietor. “landlord” means n. a person who rents out land, a building, or an apartment. Study “landlord” →
Select the best synonym for the word “energize”:
D — invigorate. “energize” means v. to give energy or vitality to. Study “energize” →
Select the best synonym for the word “blindly”:
D — unquestioningly. “blindly” means adv. without seeing or thinking. Study “blindly” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “blame”:
C — accuse. “blame” means v. to say or think that someone or something is responsible for something bad. Study “blame” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “compassionate”:
A — sympathetic. “compassionate” means adj. showing sympathy and concern for others. Study “compassionate” →
Select the best synonym for the word “penetrating”:
A — piercing. “penetrating” means adj. able to make a way through or into something. Study “penetrating” →
Select the best synonym for the word “present”:
C — current. “present” means adj. existing or happening now; n. a gift. Study “present” →
Select the best synonym for the word “shining”:
A — radiant. “shining” means adj. giving off light. Study “shining” →
Select the best synonym for the word “happy”:
B — glad. “happy” means adj. feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. Study “happy” →
Select the best synonym for the word “fanciful”:
D — whimsical. “fanciful” means adj. imaginative or unrealistic. Study “fanciful” →
Select the best synonym for the word “release”:
B — liberate. “release” means v. to set free or let go. Study “release” →
Select the best synonym for the word “national”:
A — countrywide. “national” means adj. relating to a nation; n. a citizen of a particular country. Study “national” →
Select the best synonym for the word “stone”:
C — pebble. “stone” means n. a small piece of rock. Study “stone” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “measurement”:
A — dimension. “measurement” means n. the size, length, or amount of something. Study “measurement” →
The unexpected ______ of prize money let the family buy a brand-new home.
C — windfall. “windfall” means n. an unexpected gain or piece of good fortune. Study “windfall” →
It was very ______ of her to give her whole lunch to the hungry stranger.
C — unselfish. “unselfish” means adj. putting others'' needs before one''s own. Study “unselfish” →
The ______ of the water flowing over the falls was truly amazing.
B — rate. “rate” means n. a measure, quantity, or frequency, typically one measured against another quantity or measure. Study “rate” →
Plants and animals both depend on a clean, healthy ______.
D — environment. “environment” means n. the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives. Study “environment” →
The ______ train blew its loud whistle as it neared the station.
C — approaching. “approaching” means adj. coming near or nearer in distance or time. Study “approaching” →
You can easily ______ the large pizza into eight equal slices.
D — divide. “divide” means v. to separate into parts or groups. Study “divide” →
The teacher gave helpful ______ on exactly how to improve the essay.
A — feedback. “feedback” means n. information about reactions to a product or a person''s performance. Study “feedback” →
The whole dark forest was completely ______ except for the whispering wind.
D — silent. “silent” means adj. not making or accompanied by any sound. Study “silent” →
They all gathered around the warm ______ to tell stories late at night.
D — fire. “fire” means n. the heat and light produced by burning. Study “fire” →
To share the pie fairly, they decided to ______ the very last slice.
D — halve. “halve” means v. to divide into two equal parts. Study “halve” →
Many millions of ______ live in the huge, crowded, busy city.
A — people. “people” means n. human beings in general. Study “people” →
The very first puzzle was so ______ that she finished it in a minute.
D — easy. “easy” means adj. not difficult. Study “easy” →
The long, ______ desert stretched in every direction with no end in sight.
D — endless. “endless” means adj. having no limit or end. Study “endless” →
A cold night draft came in through the ______ bedroom window.
B — unclosed. “unclosed” means adj. not closed. Study “unclosed” →
She was quite ______ to speak up in the large, noisy meeting.
B — hesitant. “hesitant” means adj. unsure or slow in acting or speaking. Study “hesitant” →
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.