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 “manufacturing”:
A — production. “manufacturing” means n. the process of making products, especially with machines in factories. Study “manufacturing” →
Select the best synonym for the word “notice”:
A — observe. “notice” means v. to become aware of something. Study “notice” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “transmit”:
D — convey. “transmit” means v. to send or pass something from one person or place to another. Study “transmit” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “fiber”:
A — strand. “fiber” means n. a thread or filament from which a vegetable tissue, mineral substance, or textile is formed. Study “fiber” →
Select the best synonym for the word “neglectful”:
A — careless. “neglectful” means adj. not giving enough care or attention to someone or something. Study “neglectful” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “witty”:
B — clever. “witty” means adj. showing or characterized by quick and inventive verbal humor. Study “witty” →
Select the best synonym for the word “special”:
A — unique. “special” means adj. better or different from usual. Study “special” →
Select the best synonym for the word “scold”:
A — reprimand. “scold” means v. to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. Study “scold” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “colonies”:
A — territories. “colonies” means n. territories controlled by another country. Study “colonies” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “neglected”:
A — unattended. “neglected” means adj. not receiving enough care or attention. Study “neglected” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “longing”:
C — yearning. “longing” means n. a strong desire for something. Study “longing” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “maxim”:
A — adage. “maxim” means n. a short statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct. Study “maxim” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “insufficient”:
C — inadequate. “insufficient” means adj. not enough; inadequate. Study “insufficient” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “characteristic”:
C — trait. “characteristic” means n. a feature or quality that makes something recognizable. Study “characteristic” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “balance”:
C — equilibrium. “balance” means n. a state where things are of equal weight or force. Study “balance” →
The lights ______ went out, leaving the whole big house in total darkness.
B — suddenly. “suddenly” means adv. quickly and unexpectedly. Study “suddenly” →
This is just one ______ of his many kind and generous acts.
B — instance. “instance” means n. an example or single occurrence of something. Study “instance” →
The ______ of the huge action movie took nearly three whole years.
B — production. “production” means n. the process of making or growing things to be sold. Study “production” →
The warm room and soft slow music made the whole class feel ______.
C — sleepy. “sleepy” means adj. feeling ready to sleep. Study “sleepy” →
The clever boy built a tiny ______ of a sailing ship out of thin wood.
D — model. “model” means n. a small copy of something; a person who poses for artists or photographers. Study “model” →
His ______ desk was covered in scattered papers, pens, and old cups.
C — disorganized. “disorganized” means adj. not arranged in a neat or orderly way. Study “disorganized” →
The town held a huge ______ with bright fireworks on the summer holiday.
D — celebration. “celebration” means n. a special event or activity in honor of something. Study “celebration” →
Luckily, the driver walked away completely ______ from the terrible crash.
A — unharmed. “unharmed” means adj. not hurt or damaged. Study “unharmed” →
Years of neglect led to the slow ______ of the beautiful old house.
B — deterioration. “deterioration” means n. the process of becoming worse. Study “deterioration” →
The ______ microphone could easily pick up even the faintest whisper.
A — sensitive. “sensitive” means adj. quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences. Study “sensitive” →
The whole ______ celebrated its independence with bright fireworks.
A — nation. “nation” means n. a large group of people who live in the same country. Study “nation” →
It was a very ______ idea to bring an umbrella on such a cloudy day.
D — sensible. “sensible” means adj. having or showing good sense or judgment. Study “sensible” →
Her complete ______ made everyone in the town trust her right away.
C — honesty. “honesty” means n. the quality of being honest. Study “honesty” →
With a ______ heart, the boy admitted that he had broken the old vase.
B — repentant. “repentant” means adj. feeling sorry for something wrong you have done. Study “repentant” →
The sharp lawyer asked only ______ questions that related to the case.
A — relevant. “relevant” means adj. closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand. Study “relevant” →
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.