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 “responsibility”:
A — duty. “responsibility” means n. a duty or task that you are required or expected to do. Study “responsibility” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “fancy”:
C — ornate. “fancy” means adj. elaborate or decorative. Study “fancy” →
Select the best synonym for the word “waiting”:
C — delay. “waiting” means n. the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time. Study “waiting” →
Select the best synonym for the word “casually”:
D — informally. “casually” means adv. in a relaxed and informal way. Study “casually” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “confused”:
A — bewildered. “confused” means adj. unable to think clearly or understand. Study “confused” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “fill”:
A — stuff. “fill” means v. to make something full. Study “fill” →
Select the best synonym for the word “unforgettable”:
C — memorable. “unforgettable” means adj. impossible to forget. Study “unforgettable” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “widespread”:
B — prevalent. “widespread” means adj. found or distributed over a large area. Study “widespread” →
Select the best synonym for the word “halve”:
D — bisect. “halve” means v. to divide into two equal parts. Study “halve” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “biting”:
A — piercing. “biting” means adj. very cold or harsh. Study “biting” →
Select the best synonym for the word “unmanageable”:
A — uncontrollable. “unmanageable” means adj. difficult or impossible to control or manage. Study “unmanageable” →
Select the best synonym for the word “crack”:
B — fissure. “crack” means n. a line on the surface of something where it has broken. Study “crack” →
Select the best synonym for the word “heavy”:
B — weighty. “heavy” means adj. having great weight. Study “heavy” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “intellect”:
D — intelligence. “intellect” means n. the ability to think in a logical way and understand things, especially at an advanced level. Study “intellect” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “picture”:
A — image. “picture” means n. a painting, drawing, or photograph. Study “picture” →
The plan was still only ______, existing as an idea rather than a real thing.
A — conceptual. “conceptual” means adj. related to or based on ideas. Study “conceptual” →
The excited fans stood at the gate, ______ the movie star's arrival.
A — awaiting. “awaiting” means v. waiting for something. Study “awaiting” →
The bright red sign was there to ______ swimmers of the strong current.
C — warn. “warn” means v. to inform someone of a possible danger. Study “warn” →
It took several very strong men to ______ the struggling wild horse.
B — overpower. “overpower” means v. to defeat or gain control over. Study “overpower” →
The kind nurse made ______ checks on the sleeping patient all night.
C — periodic. “periodic” means adj. occurring at regular intervals. Study “periodic” →
Stories about deep outer space never fail to ______ young children.
B — fascinate. “fascinate” means v. to attract and hold the attention of someone. Study “fascinate” →
The ______ librarian showed us exactly where to find the old book.
D — helpful. “helpful” means adj. providing assistance or serving a useful function. Study “helpful” →
Loud music can easily ______ a student who is trying hard to study.
D — distract. “distract” means v. to take someone''s attention away from something. Study “distract” →
Please ______ the charger from the wall before you clean the phone.
A — disconnect. “disconnect” means v. to separate or detach. Study “disconnect” →
Many strange fish ______ the dark, cold depths of the deep ocean.
A — inhabit. “inhabit” means v. to live in a place. Study “inhabit” →
His firm ______ to help at all surprised everyone at the meeting.
C — refusal. “refusal” means n. the act of saying no to something. Study “refusal” →
The ______ student stayed late every single day to finish her project.
C — hardworking. “hardworking” means adj. tending to work with energy and commitment. Study “hardworking” →
Their trip through the thick jungle turned into a real ______.
B — adventure. “adventure” means n. an unusual and exciting experience. Study “adventure” →
The story sounds made up, but every single word of it is ______.
C — actual. “actual” means adj. real or existing in fact. Study “actual” →
After the huge holiday meal, everyone felt heavy, slow, and ______.
C — lethargic. “lethargic” means adj. feeling a lack of energy or interest. Study “lethargic” →
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.