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 of the following words is a synonym for “prominent” as used in the sentence: The scientist became particularly prominent after making a groundbreaking discovery?
A — notable. “prominent” means adj. important, well-known. Study “prominent” →
Choose the word that is a synonym of “spacious”: The new public library, with its high ceilings and wide open areas, feels very __________.
B — spacious. “spacious” means adj. large, roomy. Study “spacious” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to “coast”.
A — seashore. “coast” means n. seashore. Study “coast” →
Choose the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to rigid.
C — Stiff. “rigid” means adj. stiff, not flexible. Study “rigid” →
Select the synonym for the word “dreadful” as used in this sentence: The weather forecast predicts a dreadful storm approaching the coast.
B — Terrible. “dreadful” means adj. very bad, awful. Study “dreadful” →
Which of the following words is a synonym of “quibble”?
C — nitpick. “quibble” means v./n. argue over small things. Study “quibble” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “victim”?
B — sufferer. “victim” means n. person who suffers harm. Study “victim” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “Opportunity”:
A — Chance. “opportunity” means n. favorable chance. Study “opportunity” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “satisfy”.
A — Appease. “satisfy” means v. to please, meet needs. Study “satisfy” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “livelihood”?
A — Occupation. “livelihood” means n. means of supporting oneself. Study “livelihood” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to: Diminish
B — Reduce. “diminish” means v. make or become smaller. Study “diminish” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “loathe”:
B — Despise. “loathe” means v. hate very much. Study “loathe” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “suggestive”:
A — implied. “suggestive” means adj. hinting at something. Study “suggestive” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “nausea”:
D — Sickness. “nausea” means n. feeling you want to vomit. Study “nausea” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “illegible” as used in this sentence: “The student”s handwriting was so illegible that the teacher couldn“t grade his paper.”
A — Unreadable. “illegible” means adj. difficult to read. Study “illegible” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “hasty”:
A — Quick. “hasty” means adj. quick, without careful thought. Study “hasty” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “discretion”?
B — Judgment. “discretion” means n. good judgment; choice. Study “discretion” →
The constant buzzing of the mosquito began to ______ everyone at the picnic.
B — irritate. “irritate” means v. annoy, bother. Study “irritate” →
The rope began to ______ after rubbing against the sharp rock.
C — fray. “fray” means n./v. fight; to wear out. Study “fray” →
The scientists worked together to ______ a bold new theory.
B — formulate. “formulate” means v. create or invent systematically. Study “formulate” →
After finally moving out on her own, she felt proud and ______.
C — independent. “independent” means adj. free, not controlled by others. Study “independent” →
Unlike a dream, a book is a real, ______ object you can hold in your hands.
C — tangible. “tangible” means adj. able to be touched. Study “tangible” →
The discovery of gold caused a ______ in the town's population.
D — boom. “boom” means n. a rapid increase/sound. Study “boom” →
The bridge was closed, so we took an ______ route around the lake.
D — alternative. “alternative” means n./adj. choice; another option. Study “alternative” →
The curious puppy tends to ______ far from home if the gate is left open.
C — stray. “stray” means v./adj. wander, move away. Study “stray” →
With no proper tent, they built a ______ shelter out of branches.
C — makeshift. “makeshift” means adj. temporary substitute. Study “makeshift” →
A strange, ______ silence filled the abandoned house at midnight.
C — eerie. “eerie” means adj. strange, frightening. Study “eerie” →
Forgetting the customer's entire order was an embarrassing ______.
B — blunder. “blunder” means n./v. mistake, error. Study “blunder” →
A well-trained soldier is expected to ______ every command instantly.
D — obey. “obey” means v. follow orders. Study “obey” →
The brave young girl is the ______ of this thrilling adventure story.
C — protagonist. “protagonist” means n. main character. Study “protagonist” →
The ______ president gave a speech about his years in office.
A — former. “former” means adj. previous, earlier. Study “former” →
In a ______, citizens choose their leaders by voting.
A — democracy. “democracy” means n. government by the people. Study “democracy” →
There was ______ food at the party, so no one left hungry.
B — ample. “ample” means adj. more than enough. Study “ample” →
During the heated argument, she stayed ______ and refused to blame anyone.
A — neutral. “neutral” means adj. not taking sides. Study “neutral” →
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.