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.
Choose the best synonym for the word “fallacy” in the following sentence: “The argument was based on a common fallacy, leading many to question its validity.”
B — Delusion. “fallacy” means n. false idea, mistaken belief. Study “fallacy” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “hybrid”.
A — mixture. “hybrid” means n./adj. animal or thing made from two types. Study “hybrid” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the word “abuse”:
C — mistreat. “abuse” means n./v. misuse, treat badly. Study “abuse” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “ardent” as it is used in the sentence: “Her ardent support for the cause inspired many others to join.”
A — enthusiastic. “ardent” means adj. passionate, enthusiastic. Study “ardent” →
Choose a synonym for the word “chronic” as used in the following sentence: The patient has been dealing with a chronic condition that requires ongoing treatment.
B — persistent. “chronic” means adj. long-lasting, constant. Study “chronic” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to: decree.
B — order. “decree” means n./v. order, official command. Study “decree” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “expression”:
B — Phrase. “expression” means n. way of saying, face look. Study “expression” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “inaugurate”. The new park is scheduled to inaugurate during the summer festival.
B — commence. “inaugurate” means v. begin formally, install in office. Study “inaugurate” →
What is the best synonym for the word “portable” as used in the following sentence? The portable speaker was convenient for the picnic because it was easy to move around.
C — movable. “portable” means adj. easy to carry. Study “portable” →
Choose the synonym for the word “gingerly” in the following sentence: She held the fragile vase gingerly as she placed it on the shelf.
B — carefully. “gingerly” means adv. carefully, cautiously. Study “gingerly” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to rant.
B — yell. “rant” means v./n. speak loudly, angry speech. Study “rant” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “luxurious”: After their success, they moved into a luxurious penthouse overlooking the city.
C — Opulent. “luxurious” means adj. very comfortable and expensive. Study “luxurious” →
In the following sentence, choose the word that is closest in meaning to “substitute”: When the teacher was sick, Mr. James served as a substitute until she returned.
A — replacement. “substitute” means n./v. replacement, replace. Study “substitute” →
In the context of the meeting, the CEO stated that it was imperative to reduce costs immediately. What does the word “imperative” most nearly mean?
B — necessary. “imperative” means adj./n. absolutely necessary, order. Study “imperative” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “abate” in the sentence: The storm began to abate, allowing the team to continue their journey.
B — diminish. “abate” means v. become less, reduce. Study “abate” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to “debut”.
B — Introduction. “debut” means n. first appearance. Study “debut” →
Select the synonym for the word “kin”:
C — relative. “kin” means n. relatives, family. Study “kin” →
What is the synonym of the word “accustomed”? Although the new schedule was busy, she quickly became _____ to it.
A — familiar. “accustomed” means adj. familiar with; used to. Study “accustomed” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “brisk”?
B — lively. “brisk” means adj. active, fast, and energetic. Study “brisk” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “ajar”: The door was left slightly ajar, allowing a cool breeze to enter the room.
B — half-open. “ajar” means adj. partly open. Study “ajar” →
The doctor helped the ______ slowly overcome his dependence on the drug.
B — addict. “addict” means n. person who is dependent. Study “addict” →
Good teachers always try to ______ a love of learning in every child.
B — foster. “foster” means v. encourage, bring up. Study “foster” →
A trained lifeguard must carefully ______ every child in the swimming pool.
D — supervise. “supervise” means v. watch and direct. Study “supervise” →
The angry king decided to ______ the traitor from the kingdom forever.
D — banish. “banish” means v. to send someone away from a country or place as a punishment.. Study “banish” →
A ______ wave rose up and crashed over the tiny fishing boat.
A — gigantic. “gigantic” means adj. very big. Study “gigantic” →
The doctors carefully studied the harmful ______ of the new drug.
B — effects. “effects” means n. results, belongings. Study “effects” →
By ignoring every warning, the climbers put their lives in serious ______.
D — jeopardy. “jeopardy” means n. danger of loss, harm, or failure. Study “jeopardy” →
After the noisy guests finally left, the huge house felt strangely ______.
D — void. “void” means n./adj. empty, emptiness. Study “void” →
Rice is a ______ food eaten daily by millions of people worldwide.
D — staple. “staple” means n. main product, basic food; adj. basic. Study “staple” →
At such a high ______, the air becomes very thin and cold.
A — altitude. “altitude” means n. height above sea level. Study “altitude” →
The city will ______ the newly elected mayor in a grand ceremony.
D — inaugurate. “inaugurate” means v. begin formally, install in office. Study “inaugurate” →
Strange noises in the attic began to ______ the nervous new tenant.
D — perturb. “perturb” means v. disturb, worry. Study “perturb” →
Learning a new language takes patience and constant ______.
A — repetition. “repetition” means n. doing again and again. Study “repetition” →
The huge national park is large enough to ______ several small lakes.
C — encompass. “encompass” means v. include, surround. Study “encompass” →
It is a common ______ that lightning never strikes the same place twice.
B — fallacy. “fallacy” means n. false idea, mistaken belief. Study “fallacy” →
The old shepherd's only ______ on the lonely hills was his loyal dog.
B — companion. “companion” means n. friend; partner. Study “companion” →
After skipping both meals, the workers were absolutely ______ by dinnertime.
A — famished. “famished” means adj. extremely hungry. Study “famished” →
She looked at the cheap imitation with obvious ______.
C — disdain. “disdain” means n./v. look down, scorn. Study “disdain” →
The spring weather here is highly ______, changing from hour to hour.
C — variable. “variable” means adj. changeable; n. factor that changes. Study “variable” →
The king threw a ______ feast with mountains of food and rivers of wine.
D — lavish. “lavish” means adj. very generous or rich. Study “lavish” →
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.