40 Verbal Reasoning questions — 20 synonym, 20 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.
Select the best synonym for the word “enemy”:
A — foe. “enemy” means n. a person who is actively opposed or hostile. Study “enemy” →
The loud crash of thunder began to ______ the small, trembling puppy.
B — terrify. “terrify” means v. to make someone feel very frightened. Study “terrify” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “chief”:
A — leader. “chief” means adj. most important; n. a leader or ruler of a people or clan. Study “chief” →
A large fallen tree can badly ______ the flow of traffic on the road.
B — impede. “impede” means v. to slow down or block the progress of something. Study “impede” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “originator”:
A — creator. “originator” means n. a person who creates or starts something. Study “originator” →
A single thin ______ of her hair fell across her face in the light wind.
C — strand. “strand” means n. a single thin length of something. Study “strand” →
Select the best synonym for the word “cancel”:
D — call off. “cancel” means v. to decide that something will not happen. Study “cancel” →
We spent a ______ afternoon walking slowly through the sunny gardens.
D — pleasant. “pleasant” means adj. giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment. Study “pleasant” →
Select the best synonym for the word “kind”:
C — gentle. “kind” means adj. having a friendly, generous, and considerate nature; n. a group of people or things having similar characteristics. Study “kind” →
The dancer gave a ______ performance that no one could look away from.
C — captivating. “captivating” means adj. very attractive and interesting. Study “captivating” →
Select the best synonym for the word “icy”:
A — frigid. “icy” means adj. very cold; covered with ice. Study “icy” →
It was a ______ mistake to wear two completely different colored shoes.
A — silly. “silly” means adj. lacking in seriousness or common sense. Study “silly” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “suspended”:
B — paused. “suspended” means adj. temporarily prevented from continuing. Study “suspended” →
The famous ______ lasted for many weeks before the jury reached a verdict.
A — trial. “trial” means n. a formal examination of evidence in court; a test of performance. Study “trial” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “commonplace”:
A — ordinary. “commonplace” means adj. ordinary; not unusual. Study “commonplace” →
The ______ circus set up its huge striped tent in a different town each week.
B — traveling. “traveling” means adj. going from one place to another. Study “traveling” →
Select the best synonym for the word “globe”:
C — sphere. “globe” means n. a spherical representation of the earth or of the constellations with a map on the surface. Study “globe” →
Unlike a bright rainbow, a solid gray rock is a real, ______ thing.
B — touchable. “touchable” means adj. able to be touched or felt. Study “touchable” →
Select the best synonym for the word “shortsightedness”:
C — myopia. “shortsightedness” means n. the condition of being unable to see far; lack of foresight. Study “shortsightedness” →
He seemed strangely ______ about the loud crashing noises outside.
D — unconcerned. “unconcerned” means adj. not worried or interested. Study “unconcerned” →
Select the best synonym for the word “sphere”:
C — globe. “sphere” means n. a round 3D shape like a ball. Study “sphere” →
By ______ a good map, they made the long mountain hike much easier.
A — having. “having” means v. possessing or owning something. Study “having” →
Select the best synonym for the word “pleasant”:
D — agreeable. “pleasant” means adj. giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment. Study “pleasant” →
The thick soup was ______ salty, so no one wanted a second bowl.
A — overly. “overly” means adv. too much. Study “overly” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “addition”:
A — sum. “addition” means n. the process of adding something. Study “addition” →
The ______ merchant owned three grand houses and a fine sailing ship.
C — rich. “rich” means adj. having a lot of money or valuable possessions. Study “rich” →
Select the best synonym for the word “moisten”:
A — dampen. “moisten” means v. to make something slightly wet. Study “moisten” →
The alert guard paused to ______ the crowd for any sign of trouble.
D — scan. “scan” means v. to look at something carefully to get information. Study “scan” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “uproar”:
D — commotion. “uproar” means n. a loud and impassioned noise or disturbance. Study “uproar” →
The ______ acrobat swung high above the crowd without any safety net.
C — daring. “daring” means adj. adventurous or bold. Study “daring” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “lower”:
D — reduce. “lower” means v. to make something go down. Study “lower” →
The witness gave a clear ______ of the man who had run away.
C — description. “description” means n. a spoken or written account of something. Study “description” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “stating”:
B — declaring. “stating” means v. expressing something clearly in words. Study “stating” →
The ______ old traveler drifted from town to town, never once settling down.
C — wandering. “wandering” means adj. moving around without a fixed course. Study “wandering” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “rivalry”:
B — feud. “rivalry” means n. competition for the same objective or for superiority. Study “rivalry” →
The young math ______ solved the impossible problem in just a few seconds.
D — genius. “genius” means n. a person with exceptional intellectual or creative ability. Study “genius” →
Select the best synonym for the word “hesitant”:
B — reluctant. “hesitant” means adj. unsure or slow in acting or speaking. Study “hesitant” →
The two ______ train tracks ran side by side for many long miles.
A — parallel. “parallel” means adj. being an equal distance apart everywhere. Study “parallel” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “having”:
D — possessing. “having” means v. possessing or owning something. Study “having” →
He did not even ______ when the very loud firework suddenly exploded.
B — flinch. “flinch” means v. to make a quick, nervous movement as an instinctive reaction to fear or pain. Study “flinch” →
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.
40 — 20 synonym questions and 20 sentence-completion questions, the same roughly-even split the real ISEE Verbal Reasoning section uses.
No. Every Basic 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.