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.
Which word is a synonym for “erupt”?
A — Explode. “erupt” means v. burst out violently. Study “erupt” →
Choose the word that best matches the meaning of the word “Associate” as used in the following sentence: “She decided to associate with the local art community to gain more exposure for her paintings.”
B — Collaborate. “associate” means v. connect in mind; n. partner. Study “associate” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to: Boom.
A — Bang. “boom” means n. a rapid increase/sound. Study “boom” →
Select the word that is a synonym for “trait”:
A — feature. “trait” means n. characteristic, quality. Study “trait” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “exclude”:
C — Omit. “exclude” means v. leave out. Study “exclude” →
Select the best synonym for the word “hoist”:
B — raise. “hoist” means v. lift, raise. Study “hoist” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “advantage”?
A — Benefit. “advantage” means n. a benefit. Study “advantage” →
In the context of the sentence, which word is a synonym for originate? The idea for the new project is set to ______ from the marketing team.
B — begin. “originate” means v. begin, come from. Study “originate” →
Select the synonym for the word “immense”:
B — Huge. “immense” means adj. very large. Study “immense” →
What is the best synonym for the word “clarity”?
B — Lucidity. “clarity” means n. clearness. Study “clarity” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “fray” as used in the sentence: The heated debate soon began to fray the nerves of everyone involved.
B — unravel. “fray” means n./v. fight; to wear out. Study “fray” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “expose”?
B — Reveal. “expose” means v. uncover, reveal. Study “expose” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “stray”:
A — Wander. “stray” means v./adj. wander, move away. Study “stray” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “recent”.
A — Modern. “recent” means adj. not long ago. Study “recent” →
In the meeting, Sarah tended to misunderstand the instructions, which caused several delays. Which word is a synonym for “misunderstand”?
C — misinterpret. “misunderstand” means v. interpret wrongly. Study “misunderstand” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “aloof”: Despite being at the party, Jenna remained aloof, not engaging much with others.
A — Detached. “aloof” means adj. not friendly, distant. Study “aloof” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “ignite”:
B — Kindle. “ignite” means v. set on fire, start. Study “ignite” →
Farmers ______ the land carefully to produce a good harvest.
B — cultivate. “cultivate” means v. grow plants; develop. Study “cultivate” →
The ______ firefighter rushed into the burning building to save the child.
C — brave. “brave” means adj. willing to face danger or pain; courageous.. Study “brave” →
He studied ______ because he loved designing houses and skyscrapers.
A — architecture. “architecture” means n. designing buildings. Study “architecture” →
She spoke in a ______ voice to calm the frightened child.
B — gentle. “gentle” means adj. having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character. Study “gentle” →
This recipe calls for a large ______ of fresh ripe tomatoes.
C — quantity. “quantity” means n. amount, how much. Study “quantity” →
She felt a sudden ______ to laugh at the strange and funny sight.
A — urge. “urge” means v./n. desire, strong push. Study “urge” →
Tall buildings and busy, crowded streets are typical of ______ life.
D — urban. “urban” means adj. city-related, metropolitan. Study “urban” →
The ______ noise from the construction site gave her a headache.
D — constant. “constant” means adj. not changing, continuous. Study “constant” →
Many popular foods actually ______ in distant foreign countries.
B — originate. “originate” means v. begin, come from. Study “originate” →
The antique clock was repaired with slow, ______ effort.
C — painstaking. “painstaking” means adj. very careful, meticulous. Study “painstaking” →
The teacher asked us to ______ the difficult poem in simple language.
D — paraphrase. “paraphrase” means v./n. express in other words. Study “paraphrase” →
The teacher said the essay was ______, though it could still be improved.
A — acceptable. “acceptable” means adj. good enough. Study “acceptable” →
The ancient temple was supported by a tall marble ______.
B — column. “column” means n. upright pillar. Study “column” →
The workers began to ______ the stage after the concert ended.
A — dismantle. “dismantle” means v. take apart. Study “dismantle” →
Scientists still debate the exact ______ of the universe.
A — origin. “origin” means n. beginning, source. Study “origin” →
There was great ______ that the new movie would be a huge success.
D — expectation. “expectation” means n. hope, belief that something will happen. Study “expectation” →
Factories must reduce the ______ of harmful gases into the air.
A — emission. “emission” means n. release of gas, light, etc.. Study “emission” →
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.