34 Verbal Reasoning questions — 17 synonym, 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.
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to: Meager
A — Sparse. “meager” means adj. very small or insufficient. Study “meager” →
She was ______ to escape the accident without a single scratch.
C — fortunate. “fortunate” means adj. lucky, blessed. Study “fortunate” →
What is a synonym for the word “trace”?
B — track. “trace” means v./n. find evidence; small sign. Study “trace” →
Animals must ______ to changing seasons in order to survive.
D — adapt. “adapt” means v. adjust, modify. Study “adapt” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “irritate”:
B — Annoy. “irritate” means v. annoy, bother. Study “irritate” →
With hard work, she was able to ______ her goal of becoming a pilot.
A — attain. “attain” means v. reach, achieve. Study “attain” →
In the context of geography, what is a synonym for “region”?
A — Area. “region” means n. area, part of a country. Study “region” →
After the beginner class, she moved up to the ______ level.
A — intermediate. “intermediate” means adj. between two levels. Study “intermediate” →
What is a synonym for the word “glacier”?
C — Ice sheet. “glacier” means n. large mass of ice. Study “glacier” →
The cold medicine brought ______ relief from the sharp pain.
A — instant. “instant” means n./adj. immediate, moment. Study “instant” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to: Restrain
A — Limit. “restrain” means v. control, hold back. Study “restrain” →
His sturdy work boots were made of thick brown ______.
B — leather. “leather” means n. animal skin made into material. Study “leather” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “object”.
A — item. “object” means n. thing; v. express opposition. Study “object” →
A powerful microscope can ______ tiny objects hundreds of times.
A — magnify. “magnify” means v. make bigger. Study “magnify” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “stable”.
B — steady. “stable” means adj. steady; n. building for animals. Study “stable” →
His constant ______ of difficult tasks frustrated his boss.
A — avoidance. “avoidance” means n. keeping away from. Study “avoidance” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “whimsical”: The artist''s work is known for its whimsical style, full of unexpected twists and playful elements.
C — fanciful. “whimsical” means adj. playful, fanciful, unpredictable. Study “whimsical” →
After the storm, the sun began to ______ from behind the clouds.
D — emerge. “emerge” means v. come out, appear. Study “emerge” →
Which word is the closest synonym to “protect”?
A — defend. “protect” means v. keep safe. Study “protect” →
If we all ______, we can finish the project much faster.
C — cooperate. “cooperate” means v. work together. Study “cooperate” →
Choose the word that is a synonym of “announce”.
A — proclaim. “announce” means v. make known publicly. Study “announce” →
The play ends in a ______ way, with the hero losing everything he loved.
D — tragic. “tragic” means adj. very sad, disastrous. Study “tragic” →
In the context of the following sentence, what is the best synonym for “expectation”? The teacher had high expectations for her students, believing they could all achieve great things.
A — anticipation. “expectation” means n. hope, belief that something will happen. Study “expectation” →
Failing to study had the unfortunate ______ of a poor grade on the exam.
D — consequence. “consequence” means n. result. Study “consequence” →
Which word is a synonym for “inform”?
A — Tell. “inform” means v. give knowledge. Study “inform” →
In her essay, she chose to ______ a line from a famous old poem.
B — quote. “quote” means v./n. repeat someone’s words. Study “quote” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “rebellion”:
A — Revolt. “rebellion” means n. resistance to authority. Study “rebellion” →
His firm ______ of the crime surprised the entire jury.
B — denial. “denial” means n. refusing to accept. Study “denial” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “futile”?
B — Pointless. “futile” means adj. useless, pointless. Study “futile” →
The teammates shared a strong sense of ______ after winning together.
C — camaraderie. “camaraderie” means n. friendship in a group. Study “camaraderie” →
Choose the word that is the best synonym for “decent” in the context of describing behavior:
B — suitable. “decent” means adj. proper, respectable. Study “decent” →
Lost in the desert for days, the hikers grew ______ for water.
B — desperate. “desperate” means adj. feeling hopeless or urgent. Study “desperate” →
Which word is a synonym for “idiom”?
A — expression. “idiom” means n. phrase with special meaning. Study “idiom” →
The bald eagle is a national ______ of the United States.
C — emblem. “emblem” means n. symbol, sign. Study “emblem” →
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 — 17 synonym questions and 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.