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 closest in meaning to “desperate”: The sailor was desperate to find land after days lost at sea.
C — distressed. “desperate” means adj. feeling hopeless or urgent. Study “desperate” →
Select the synonym for the word “dissatisfied” as used in the sentence: “Even after the team won the match, John was still dissatisfied with his own performance.”
B — unfulfilled. “dissatisfied” means adj. not pleased. Study “dissatisfied” →
Which word is a synonym for “ancestor”?
B — Forebear. “ancestor” means n. a family member from earlier. Study “ancestor” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to: Commentary.
B — Critique. “commentary” means n. explanation or discussion. Study “commentary” →
What is the closest synonym for the word “emblem”?
A — Symbol. “emblem” means n. symbol, sign. Study “emblem” →
Which word is the best synonym for “evidence”?
A — Proof. “evidence” means n. proof, facts. Study “evidence” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “incomplete”.
A — Partial. “incomplete” means adj. not finished. Study “incomplete” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to: impeach.
A — accuse. “impeach” means v. formally accuse a public official. Study “impeach” →
In the realm of literature, the word “genre” refers to a:
C — style. “genre” means n. type, category. Study “genre” →
Choose the synonym for the word “soothe” in the following sentence: The mother tried to soothe her crying baby by gently rocking him.
B — calm. “soothe” means v. calm, make less painful. Study “soothe” →
In the context of technology, if a system is described as static, it is most likely:
A — inactive. “static” means adj. not moving, unchanging. Study “static” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “accurate”:
A — precise. “accurate” means adj. exact, correct. Study “accurate” →
Select the synonym for the word “journal” as used in the sentence below: She keeps a detailed journal of her daily experiences.
D — diary. “journal” means n. diary; magazine. Study “journal” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “equip”:
A — furnish. “equip” means v. provide items or skills. Study “equip” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “cumulative”:
A — Incremental. “cumulative” means adj. growing by addition. Study “cumulative” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to the following word: Coincidence.
A — Accident. “coincidence” means n. accidental happening together. Study “coincidence” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “consequence”:
A — Result. “consequence” means n. result. Study “consequence” →
The astronauts went through a ______ training program before the flight.
B — rigorous. “rigorous” means adj. strict, thorough. Study “rigorous” →
The white dove is a well-known ______ of peace.
B — symbol. “symbol” means n. sign, representation. Study “symbol” →
The scientist made sure her measurements were ______ before publishing the results.
B — accurate. “accurate” means adj. exact, correct. Study “accurate” →
The travelers gazed at the vast ______ of the empty desert.
B — expanse. “expanse” means n. wide, open area. Study “expanse” →
He cried out in ______ when he broke his leg during the game.
A — agony. “agony” means n. extreme pain. Study “agony” →
A wealthy investor agreed to ______ the young director's new film.
D — finance. “finance” means n./v. money matters, fund. Study “finance” →
The new stadium has the ______ to hold fifty thousand fans.
A — capacity. “capacity” means n. ability, volume. Study “capacity” →
The senator's ______ scheduled all of her meetings and answered her mail.
D — aide. “aide” means n. assistant. Study “aide” →
The charity works to lift struggling families out of ______.
D — poverty. “poverty” means n. the state of being poor. Study “poverty” →
The play's witty ______ made the whole audience laugh.
C — dialogue. “dialogue” means n. conversation between two people. Study “dialogue” →
A thick winter coat helps ______ your body from the freezing cold.
D — protect. “protect” means v. keep safe. Study “protect” →
She hoped her singing talent would ______ the famous director.
C — impress. “impress” means v. make someone admire or respect. Study “impress” →
You could feel the ______ in the room as the results were announced.
D — tension. “tension” means n. mental strain; tightness. Study “tension” →
The sudden ______ flooded the streets within minutes.
C — deluge. “deluge” means n. a great flood, v. overwhelm. Study “deluge” →
The police could not find a clear ______ for the strange crime.
C — motive. “motive” means n. reason for doing something. Study “motive” →
Climbing the world's tallest mountain was an amazing ______.
B — feat. “feat” means n. achievement, act. Study “feat” →
Only the toughest plants can ______ in the freezing desert night.
C — survive. “survive” means v. to remain alive. Study “survive” →
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.