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.
Choose the best synonym for the word “offer”:
A — propose. “offer” means v. to present something for someone to accept or reject. Study “offer” →
The ______ kitten happily chased the ball of yarn all around the room.
B — playful. “playful” means adj. full of fun and high spirits. Study “playful” →
Select the best synonym for the word “microscopic”:
A — tiny. “microscopic” means adj. so small as to be visible only with a microscope. Study “microscopic” →
Prices for the same item can ______ greatly from one shop to another.
C — vary. “vary” means v. to change or cause to be different. Study “vary” →
Select the best synonym for the word “trust”:
A — believe. “trust” means v. to believe in the reliability of someone or something. Study “trust” →
The sun will set ______, so we should probably head home right now.
D — soon. “soon” means adv. in a short time; shortly. Study “soon” →
Select the best synonym for the word “smooth”:
A — even. “smooth” means adj. having an even and regular surface. Study “smooth” →
Waving flags and singing anthems clearly showed their strong ______.
C — nationalism. “nationalism” means n. strong identification with and pride in one''s nation. Study “nationalism” →
Select the best synonym for the word “meddle”:
A — interfere. “meddle” means v. to interfere in something that is not one''s concern. Study “meddle” →
He felt a sharp ______ in his ankle right after the bad fall.
A — pain. “pain” means n. physical suffering or discomfort. Study “pain” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “plague”:
A — epidemic. “plague” means n. a disease that spreads quickly and kills many people. Study “plague” →
The ______ old sailor spoke to us in a low, rough, growling voice.
A — gruff. “gruff” means adj. rough or stern in manner or speech. Study “gruff” →
Select the best synonym for the word “tiptoe”:
C — creep. “tiptoe” means v. to walk quietly on the toes. Study “tiptoe” →
It felt completely ______ to keep arguing, since neither side would change.
C — pointless. “pointless” means adj. having no purpose or effect. Study “pointless” →
Select the best synonym for the word “attraction”:
D — appeal. “attraction” means n. a quality or feature that draws interest or attention. Study “attraction” →
Do not ______ the danger; the little dog is really quite friendly.
B — overstate. “overstate” means v. to say something in a way that makes it seem more important than it is. Study “overstate” →
Select the best synonym for the word “bossy”:
B — domineering. “bossy” means adj. always telling people what to do. Study “bossy” →
She read the exciting book several ______ because she loved it so much.
C — times. “times” means n. instances or occasions. Study “times” →
Select the best synonym for the word “unreliable”:
C — undependable. “unreliable” means adj. not able to be trusted or depended on. Study “unreliable” →
The whole team trained very hard, hoping to ______ the big championship game.
B — win. “win” means v. to achieve victory in a contest or competition. Study “win” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “secure”:
D — safe. “secure” means adj. safe from harm; v. to make safe. Study “secure” →
The idea is bold, and ______ that it is risky, it might still succeed.
B — granted. “granted” means conj. assuming that something is true. Study “granted” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “synopsis”:
D — summary. “synopsis” means n. a brief summary or general survey of something. Study “synopsis” →
Kindness and loyalty are the very ______ of true, lasting friendship.
A — essence. “essence” means n. the basic nature or most important quality of something. Study “essence” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “fundamentally”:
C — essentially. “fundamentally” means adv. in a basic and important way. Study “fundamentally” →
Without any water, even the strongest plants will eventually ______.
B — die. “die” means v. to stop living. Study “die” →
Select the best synonym for the word “dissimilar”:
B — unlike. “dissimilar” means adj. not alike; different. Study “dissimilar” →
He tossed another thick ______ onto the crackling campfire to keep it burning.
C — log. “log” means n. a large piece of cut or fallen tree. Study “log” →
Select the best synonym for the word “upset”:
A — disturb. “upset” means v. to disturb or overturn; adj. feeling unhappy or worried. Study “upset” →
The very busy chef badly needed a ______ to chop all the vegetables.
C — helper. “helper” means n. a person who assists or aids. Study “helper” →
Select the best synonym for the word “progress”:
C — advancement. “progress” means n. the process of improving or developing something. Study “progress” →
The doctor carefully examined the patient's ______ organs with a special scan.
D — internal. “internal” means adj. located on the inside. Study “internal” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “young”:
B — youthful. “young” means adj. having lived or existed for only a short time. Study “young” →
The magician's trick was a clever ______, fooling the whole crowd at once.
D — deception. “deception” means n. the act of making someone believe something that is not true. Study “deception” →
Select the best synonym for the word “wisdom”:
A — insight. “wisdom” means n. the ability to make good decisions based on knowledge and experience. Study “wisdom” →
You must always knock before you ______ the principal's office.
B — enter. “enter” means v. to go into a place. Study “enter” →
Select the best synonym for the word “great”:
B — immense. “great” means adj. very large in size, amount, or degree. Study “great” →
The ______ old gentleman had polished manners and excellent taste.
A — refined. “refined” means adj. improved to be more precise or elegant. Study “refined” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “age”:
C — lifetime. “age” means n. the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed. Study “age” →
The worried nurse called ______ for a doctor to help the injured man.
B — urgently. “urgently” means adv. in a way that requires immediate action or attention. Study “urgently” →
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.