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 “imitate”:
A — mimic. “imitate” means v. to copy the actions, appearance, or behavior of someone or something. Study “imitate” →
Through no fault of her own, she suffered great ______ that whole year.
C — misfortune. “misfortune” means n. bad luck; an unfortunate condition or event. Study “misfortune” →
Select the best synonym for the word “directly”:
B — straight. “directly” means adv. in a straight line; without anything in between. Study “directly” →
The badly broken engine was a serious ______ that no one could fix.
D — problem. “problem” means n. a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful. Study “problem” →
Select the best synonym for the word “fantastical”:
B — fantastic. “fantastical” means adj. strange and wonderful, like something from a fantasy. Study “fantastical” →
Please ______ all the dirty dishes gently in the sink after dinner.
B — put. “put” means v. to place something in a particular position. Study “put” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “grating”:
C — harsh. “grating” means adj. sounding harsh and unpleasant. Study “grating” →
The harsh new taxes finally led to a violent ______ against the king.
B — uprising. “uprising” means n. a rebellion or revolt against authority. Study “uprising” →
Select the best synonym for the word “elegant”:
A — graceful. “elegant” means adj. graceful and stylish. Study “elegant” →
They threw a big birthday ______ with cake, music, and colorful balloons.
D — party. “party” means n. a social gathering or a political group. Study “party” →
Select the best synonym for the word “maintenance”:
A — upkeep. “maintenance” means n. the process of keeping something in good condition. Study “maintenance” →
The ______ of the cool mountain water let us see straight to the bottom.
D — clearness. “clearness” means n. the quality of being easy to see or understand. Study “clearness” →
Select the best synonym for the word “nickname”:
A — moniker. “nickname” means n. a familiar or humorous name given to a person or thing. Study “nickname” →
The ______ teacher always noticed at once when a student felt sad.
A — caring. “caring” means adj. showing kindness and concern for others. Study “caring” →
Select the best synonym for the word “overturn”:
A — reverse. “overturn” means v. to turn something upside down or to reverse a decision. Study “overturn” →
The wild, ______ crowd pushed and shoved hard toward the stage.
D — unmanageable. “unmanageable” means adj. difficult or impossible to control or manage. Study “unmanageable” →
Select the best synonym for the word “individual”:
B — person. “individual” means n. a single person or thing. Study “individual” →
The huge elephant used its long ivory ______ to dig deep for water.
C — tusk. “tusk” means n. a long, pointed tooth, usually one of a pair, projecting from the mouth of certain animals. Study “tusk” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “concurrent”:
C — simultaneous. “concurrent” means adj. happening at the same time. Study “concurrent” →
A strange, ______ bright object was seen moving across the dark night sky.
B — unidentified. “unidentified” means adj. not recognized or known. Study “unidentified” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “alike”:
C — similar. “alike” means adj. similar in appearance or nature. Study “alike” →
The great joy of ______ a car comes with a lot of responsibility too.
B — owning. “owning” means v. having something as property. Study “owning” →
Select the best synonym for the word “endorsement”:
C — approval. “endorsement” means n. an act of giving approval or support. Study “endorsement” →
The teacher's ______ words gave the whole tired class fresh new energy.
B — motivating. “motivating” means adj. providing incentive or encouragement. Study “motivating” →
Select the best synonym for the word “united”:
C — unified. “united” means adj. joined together for a common purpose. Study “united” →
Pollution is a serious ______ problem that affects every country on earth.
A — global. “global” means adj. relating to the whole world; worldwide. Study “global” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “strength”:
D — power. “strength” means n. the quality of being strong. Study “strength” →
The ______ witness stubbornly refused to answer any of the questions.
C — uncooperative. “uncooperative” means adj. not willing to help or do what someone asks. Study “uncooperative” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “drowsiness”:
A — sleepiness. “drowsiness” means n. a state of feeling sleepy. Study “drowsiness” →
In his high fever, the sick man began to ______ about strange things.
D — rave. “rave” means v. to talk wildly or incoherently, as if one were delirious or insane. Study “rave” →
Select the best synonym for the word “wandering”:
C — roaming. “wandering” means adj. moving around without a fixed course. Study “wandering” →
The excited children searched hard for the ______ treasure buried in the yard.
C — hidden. “hidden” means adj. kept out of sight; concealed. Study “hidden” →
Select the best synonym for the word “chart”:
B — graph. “chart” means n. a sheet of information in the form of a table, graph, or diagram. Study “chart” →
The playful kitten quickly managed to ______ the whole ball of yarn.
D — tangle. “tangle” means v. to twist together in a confused mass. Study “tangle” →
Select the best synonym for the word “complicated”:
A — complex. “complicated” means adj. difficult to understand or deal with. Study “complicated” →
She wrote an interesting ______ about outer space for the school paper.
B — article. “article” means n. a piece of writing included with others in a newspaper, magazine, or other publication. Study “article” →
Select the best synonym for the word “stressful”:
C — taxing. “stressful” means adj. causing stress or tension. Study “stressful” →
It is against the law to ______ anything at all from a shop.
B — steal. “steal” means v. to take something without permission. Study “steal” →
Select the best synonym for the word “thunder”:
C — rumble. “thunder” means n. the loud noise that follows a flash of lightning. Study “thunder” →
The ______ knight always defended the poor and punished the cruel.
D — righteous. “righteous” means adj. morally right or justifiable. Study “righteous” →
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.