40 Verbal Reasoning questions — Part 1: 20 synonym, Part 2: 20 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 closest in meaning to “affectionate”?
B — caring. “affectionate” means adj. showing fondness or love. Study “affectionate” →
In the following sentence, choose the word that is closest in meaning to the word “sham”: The lawyer quickly exposed the witness''s account as a sham.
A — fake. “sham” means n./adj. fake, not real. Study “sham” →
In the context of art, it is important to perceive the deeper meaning behind each piece.
A — detect. “perceive” means v. see, become aware. Study “perceive” →
In the midst of the heated debate, the speaker became increasingly irate. What is a synonym for “irate”?
A — angry. “irate” means adj. very angry. Study “irate” →
In the following sentence, choose the word that is most similar in meaning to the word “exotic”: The marketplace was filled with exotic goods from all around the world.
C — foreign. “exotic” means adj. foreign, unusual. Study “exotic” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “corroborate”?
A — confirm. “corroborate” means v. confirm, support. Study “corroborate” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “ponder”: After hearing the news, Alice had to ponder her next move.
B — consider. “ponder” means v. think about carefully. Study “ponder” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “panorama”.
A — overview. “panorama” means n. wide view, survey. Study “panorama” →
Which word is a synonym for “seldom”?
B — Rarely. “seldom” means adv. rarely, not often. Study “seldom” →
Choose the synonym for the word “instill”:
A — teach. “instill” means v. gradually put into mind. Study “instill” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “provide”?
A — supply. “provide” means v. give, supply. Study “provide” →
What is a synonym for the word “tropical”?
C — Balmy. “tropical” means adj. near the equator. Study “tropical” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “deceptive”:
A — Misleading. “deceptive” means adj. misleading, false impression. Study “deceptive” →
Which word is a synonym for “restless”?
C — uneasy. “restless” means adj. unable to stay still or quiet, often due to anxiety or boredom. Study “restless” →
Select the synonym for the word “beverage”:
B — Drink. “beverage” means n. drink. Study “beverage” →
Choose the word that is the closest synonym to “catastrophe”: The oil spill was an environmental __________ that affected thousands of miles of coastline.
C — disaster. “catastrophe” means n. disaster, tragedy. Study “catastrophe” →
Choose the synonym for the word “utmost” in the following sentence: She showed the utmost care when handling the fragile glassware.
C — greatest. “utmost” means adj./n. greatest, most extreme. Study “utmost” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “encompass”:
B — Include. “encompass” means v. include, surround. Study “encompass” →
Which word is the best synonym for “explicit” in the following sentence? The instructions were explicit, leaving no room for confusion.
B — Clear. “explicit” means adj. clear, fully stated. Study “explicit” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “proficient”:
B — skilled. “proficient” means adj. skilled, good at. Study “proficient” →
A single bright lantern was enough to ______ the whole small cave.
D — illuminate. “illuminate” means v. light up, clarify. Study “illuminate” →
Farmers dug long channels to ______ the dry fields with river water.
A — irrigate. “irrigate” means v. water crops, supply water. Study “irrigate” →
The gentle teacher knew just how to ______ answers from even the shyest students.
A — elicit. “elicit” means v. draw out, bring forth. Study “elicit” →
The diver stood ______ at the very edge, ready to leap into the pool.
B — poised. “poised” means adj. balanced, ready. Study “poised” →
The ______ guard forgot to lock the gate, and the animals escaped.
B — negligent. “negligent” means adj. neglectful, careless. Study “negligent” →
The ______ dog snarled and lunged at anyone who came too near.
A — vicious. “vicious” means adj. evil, cruel. Study “vicious” →
Reaching the mountain's icy peak was the ______ goal of the whole journey.
D — ultimate. “ultimate” means adj./n. last, final; the best. Study “ultimate” →
The old harvest festival is an important part of the town's cultural ______.
A — heritage. “heritage” means n. legacy, tradition. Study “heritage” →
The ______ cat spent the entire lazy afternoon sleeping in the sun.
C — indolent. “indolent” means adj. lazy, avoiding activity. Study “indolent” →
The fiery ______ stirred up the whole crowd with his angry speeches.
A — firebrand. “firebrand” means n. troublemaker, agitator. Study “firebrand” →
We hired a ______ electrician to rewire the entire house safely.
C — competent. “competent” means adj. able, skilled. Study “competent” →
The ______ neighbor could talk for hours without ever pausing for breath.
A — garrulous. “garrulous” means adj. excessively talkative. Study “garrulous” →
After the wedding, the guests enjoyed a grand ______ in the ballroom.
C — reception. “reception” means n. welcome or celebration; signal. Study “reception” →
There was great ______ about whether the game would happen in the storm.
A — uncertainty. “uncertainty” means n. doubt, unpredictability. Study “uncertainty” →
Loving parents work hard to ______ their children's special talents.
A — nurture. “nurture” means v./n. care for, educate. Study “nurture” →
When the star player was injured, a ______ quickly took his place.
B — substitute. “substitute” means n./v. replacement, replace. Study “substitute” →
The ______ crowd cheered wildly as the team scored the winning goal.
C — exuberant. “exuberant” means adj. enthusiastic, lively. Study “exuberant” →
After a season of perfect weather, the farmers enjoyed a ______ harvest.
B — bountiful. “bountiful” means adj. plentiful, abundant. Study “bountiful” →
Without its hard shell, the soft crab is extremely ______ to predators.
B — vulnerable. “vulnerable” means adj. easily hurt, exposed to harm. Study “vulnerable” →
A good referee must remain completely ______ throughout the whole match.
C — impartial. “impartial” means adj. neutral, fair. Study “impartial” →
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.
40 — Part 1 is 20 synonym questions, Part 2 is 20 sentence-completion questions, the same roughly-even split the real ISEE Verbal Reasoning section uses.
No. Every Middle 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.