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 “unreasonable”:
D — irrational. “unreasonable” means adj. not guided by or based on good sense. Study “unreasonable” →
Select the best synonym for the word “stumble”:
C — trip. “stumble” means v. to trip or lose balance while walking. Study “stumble” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “earth”:
C — globe. “earth” means n. the planet we live on. Study “earth” →
Select the best synonym for the word “mainland”:
B — landmass. “mainland” means n. the principal landmass of a country or continent. Study “mainland” →
Select the best synonym for the word “horrible”:
B — dreadful. “horrible” means adj. causing horror; very unpleasant. Study “horrible” →
Select the best synonym for the word “mix”:
A — blend. “mix” means v. to combine two or more things together. Study “mix” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “remedial”:
B — corrective. “remedial” means adj. intended to correct or improve something. Study “remedial” →
Select the best synonym for the word “worthless”:
A — valueless. “worthless” means adj. having no real value or use. Study “worthless” →
Select the best synonym for the word “careless”:
D — negligent. “careless” means adj. not giving enough attention to what you are doing. Study “careless” →
Select the best synonym for the word “tale”:
C — story. “tale” means n. a story, especially one that might be invented or difficult to believe. Study “tale” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “pleasing”:
C — delightful. “pleasing” means adj. giving pleasure or satisfaction. Study “pleasing” →
Select the best synonym for the word “effective”:
B — efficient. “effective” means adj. successful in producing a desired result. Study “effective” →
Select the best synonym for the word “paradise”:
A — utopia. “paradise” means n. a place or state of perfect happiness. Study “paradise” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “perplexing”:
A — baffling. “perplexing” means adj. confusing or difficult to understand. Study “perplexing” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “crowd”:
D — throng. “crowd” means n. a large number of people gathered together. Study “crowd” →
The huge parked truck was ______ the whole road, so no cars could pass.
A — blocking. “blocking” means n. the act of stopping something from moving or flowing. Study “blocking” →
The gentle nurse spoke very ______ to the frightened little patient.
B — kindly. “kindly” means adv. in a kind or gentle manner. Study “kindly” →
The deep cut on her right hand was very ______ for several days.
B — painful. “painful” means adj. causing physical or emotional pain. Study “painful” →
The new principal wisely built on the good work of her ______.
B — predecessor. “predecessor” means n. a person who held a job or position before someone else. Study “predecessor” →
The young ______ was given a stern warning instead of a harsh punishment.
D — offender. “offender” means n. a person who commits a crime. Study “offender” →
The ______ puppy bounced all around the yard, barking with pure joy.
B — lively. “lively” means adj. full of life and energy. Study “lively” →
She flatly refused to lie, staying true to her strong moral ______.
A — principles. “principles” means n. basic beliefs or rules that guide actions. Study “principles” →
She had visited the crumbling old castle only ______, many years ago.
B — once. “once” means adv. one time; on one occasion. Study “once” →
There was great ______ in the crowded stadium as the big game began.
B — excitement. “excitement” means n. a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness. Study “excitement” →
By smiling and pointing, she was ______ that the answer was very close by.
A — hinting. “hinting” means v. present participle of hint; suggesting indirectly. Study “hinting” →
Despite the light rain, the players decided to ______ the game.
B — continue. “continue” means v. to keep going or carry on. Study “continue” →
Practice makes perfect is an old ______ that nearly everyone knows.
C — saying. “saying” means n. a short, well-known expression or phrase. Study “saying” →
Staring at the sea, she felt the strange ______ of the water and sky.
A — endlessness. “endlessness” means n. the state of having no end. Study “endlessness” →
The huge steel ______ once employed thousands of workers in this town.
A — industry. “industry” means n. economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials. Study “industry” →
She was completely ______ about the time the evening movie started.
A — mistaken. “mistaken” means adj. wrong in one''s opinion or judgment. Study “mistaken” →
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.