34 Verbal Reasoning questions — Part 1: 17 synonym, Part 2: 17 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 word that is a synonym for “dissolve” as used in the following sentence: “The sugar will dissolve in water if you stir it.”
A — melt. “dissolve” means v. melt, become liquid. Study “dissolve” →
Select the synonym for the word “detect”: The detective was able to detect the hidden clues at the crime scene.
A — notice. “detect” means v. find out, discover. Study “detect” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “fortunate”?
A — Lucky. “fortunate” means adj. lucky, blessed. Study “fortunate” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “solitude” as used in the sentence below? After a long day at work, John really enjoys the solitude of his garden, where he can relax and reflect.
A — Isolation. “solitude” means n. being alone, seclusion. Study “solitude” →
Which word is the best synonym for “terminate”?
C — End. “terminate” means v. bring to an end. Study “terminate” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “controversy”? The debate sparked a significant amount of controversy, dividing the community.
B — Dispute. “controversy” means n. public disagreement. Study “controversy” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “suffrage”:
D — franchise. “suffrage” means n. right to vote. Study “suffrage” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to protagonist.
C — Hero. “protagonist” means n. main character. Study “protagonist” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “firm”.
C — company. “firm” means adj. strong, solid; n. business. Study “firm” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “consent”?
A — Agree. “consent” means v., n. give permission. Study “consent” →
Which word is the best synonym for “ambition”?
A — Goal. “ambition” means n. desire for success. Study “ambition” →
In the sentence “The fallen tree presented an obstacle to the hikers, blocking their path completely,” the word “obstacle” most nearly means:
A — hindrance. “obstacle” means n. something that blocks way. Study “obstacle” →
In the following sentence, choose the word that is closest in meaning to “reject”: Despite his heartfelt proposal, the board decided to reject his plan for the new community center.
C — dismiss. “reject” means v. refuse, turn down. Study “reject” →
Which of the following words is most similar in meaning to “solar”?
D — Celestial. “solar” means adj. relating to the sun. Study “solar” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “elude”: After hours of searching, the detectives realized the suspect continued to elude capture.
B — evade. “elude” means v. avoid, escape from. Study “elude” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to: Discrimination
A — Prejudice. “discrimination” means n. unfair treatment; ability to distinguish. Study “discrimination” →
Choose the synonym for the word in context: After years of living beyond his means, Tom found himself drowning in debt.
C — liability. “debt” means n. something owed. Study “debt” →
The tired kitten began to ______ against its mother's warm fur.
D — nestle. “nestle” means v. settle comfortably, snuggle. Study “nestle” →
The car remained ______ at the red light for a full minute.
D — stationary. “stationary” means adj. not moving. Study “stationary” →
The team had to ______ a clever plan to escape the maze.
A — devise. “devise” means v. invent, plan. Study “devise” →
The tall player was able to ______ the entire basketball game.
B — dominate. “dominate” means v. control, rule over. Study “dominate” →
The small elevator can safely carry a ______ of ten people.
C — maximum. “maximum” means n./adj. greatest possible amount. Study “maximum” →
Please ______ on the door before entering the office.
B — knock. “knock” means v./n. hit a door for attention; hit. Study “knock” →
The scientists lived in a ______ station deep in the frozen Arctic.
D — remote. “remote” means adj. far away, distant. Study “remote” →
The wealthy family owned a huge ______ with gardens and stables.
B — estate. “estate” means n. property, land. Study “estate” →
The new mayor promised to ______ the city's crowded and outdated schools.
A — reform. “reform” means v./n. make changes for improvement. Study “reform” →
The critics gave the new film a very ______ review.
A — favorable. “favorable” means adj. approving, helpful. Study “favorable” →
She used a small ______ to measure the temperature of the water.
D — device. “device” means n. tool or gadget. Study “device” →
The school will ______ every classroom with brand-new computers.
A — equip. “equip” means v. provide items or skills. Study “equip” →
Everyone called him a ______ for running away from the fight.
D — coward. “coward” means n. someone lacking courage. Study “coward” →
The angry workers began to ______ higher wages and safer conditions.
D — demand. “demand” means v./n. require, need. Study “demand” →
It took her several minutes to ______ the tightly knotted rope.
C — untie. “untie” means v. loosen, undo a knot. Study “untie” →
The witness was able to ______ the thief from a single photograph.
C — identify. “identify” means v. recognize, name. Study “identify” →
The detective searched the room for ______ of the crime.
A — evidence. “evidence” means n. proof, facts. Study “evidence” →
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.
34 — Part 1 is 17 synonym questions, Part 2 is 17 sentence-completion questions, the same roughly-even split the real ISEE Verbal Reasoning section uses.
No. Every Lower 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.