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 “lifeless”:
A — inanimate. “lifeless” means adj. without life; not lively. Study “lifeless” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “pungent”:
D — acrid. “pungent” means adj. having a strong, sharp smell or taste. Study “pungent” →
Select the best synonym for the word “hint”:
C — clue. “hint” means n. a small piece of advice or suggestion. Study “hint” →
Select the best synonym for the word “divergence”:
B — deviation. “divergence” means n. the process or state of diverging. Study “divergence” →
Select the best synonym for the word “works”:
A — creations. “works” means n. creations or achievements, especially in art or literature. Study “works” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “relying”:
B — depending. “relying” means v. present participle of rely; depending on with full trust or confidence. Study “relying” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “fumble”:
A — bungle. “fumble” means v. to handle something clumsily. Study “fumble” →
Select the best synonym for the word “thick”:
C — dense. “thick” means adj. having a large distance between sides. Study “thick” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “exterior”:
D — external. “exterior” means adj. relating to the outside of something. Study “exterior” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “upsetting”:
B — distressing. “upsetting” means adj. causing unhappiness or worry. Study “upsetting” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “all-inclusive”:
A — comprehensive. “all-inclusive” means adj. including everything. Study “all-inclusive” →
Select the best synonym for the word “naughty”:
A — disobedient. “naughty” means adj. behaving badly or disobediently. Study “naughty” →
Select the best synonym for the word “race”:
D — competition. “race” means n. a competition of speed. Study “race” →
Select the best synonym for the word “jail”:
C — prison. “jail” means n. a place where people are kept as punishment for a crime. Study “jail” →
Select the best synonym for the word “arrange”:
B — organize. “arrange” means v. to put things in a neat, attractive, or required order. Study “arrange” →
The clear photograph was ______ proof of exactly what had happened.
B — indisputable. “indisputable” means adj. impossible to doubt or question. Study “indisputable” →
The heavy roof of the old temple rested on a tall stone ______.
A — pillar. “pillar” means n. a strong column that supports a building. Study “pillar” →
You have to ______ the metal lid quite hard to open the very tight jar.
B — twist. “twist” means v. to turn something in a circular motion. Study “twist” →
The dusty old painting turned out to be far more ______ than anyone guessed.
B — valuable. “valuable” means adj. worth a lot of money or very useful. Study “valuable” →
The very clever parrot could ______ almost any sound that it happened to hear.
C — imitate. “imitate” means v. to copy the actions, appearance, or behavior of someone or something. Study “imitate” →
Skilled gardeners sometimes ______ two roses to create a brand-new color.
B — crossbreed. “crossbreed” means v. to produce an animal or plant by mating or hybridizing two different species or varieties. Study “crossbreed” →
The eagle swooped down to ______ the small fish in its sharp claws.
B — seize. “seize” means v. to take hold of something quickly and firmly. Study “seize” →
Breakfast is the very first ______ of the day for most busy people.
A — meal. “meal” means n. an occasion when food is eaten (note: typo in word list). Study “meal” →
After the very good harvest, fresh food was ______ in the whole village.
A — plentiful. “plentiful” means adj. existing in large amounts. Study “plentiful” →
He had to ______ the rusty old bolt very hard to finally loosen it.
D — wrench. “wrench” means v. to pull or twist something suddenly and violently. Study “wrench” →
The runners did some quick ______ stretches just before the big race.
C — preparatory. “preparatory” means adj. done in order to prepare for something. Study “preparatory” →
The angry people rose up against the cruel and deeply ______ new law.
C — unjust. “unjust” means adj. not fair or reasonable. Study “unjust” →
As the ship's captain, she had the ______ to give orders to the crew.
D — authority. “authority” means n. the power or right to give orders or make decisions. Study “authority” →
Salt water can slowly ______ the metal parts of an old wooden ship.
B — corrode. “corrode” means v. to destroy or damage slowly by chemical action. Study “corrode” →
The skilled tailor will ______ the sleeves so the coat fits him better.
C — lengthen. “lengthen” means v. to make longer. Study “lengthen” →
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.