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.
In the face of enormous peer pressure, she decided she would not succumb.
B — yield. “succumb” means v. give in, yield. Study “succumb” →
What is the best synonym for the word “uncertainty” as used in the context of not being sure about future events?
C — Doubt. “uncertainty” means n. doubt, unpredictability. Study “uncertainty” →
Choose the word closest in meaning to “exceptional”:
C — Outstanding. “exceptional” means adj. unusually good. Study “exceptional” →
In the sentence Her decision to take the day off and go hiking was completely spontaneous, what is the best synonym for “spontaneous”?
B — impulsive. “spontaneous” means adj. not planned, happening naturally. Study “spontaneous” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “endanger”: To build a factory on the nature reserve might ___ the endangered species living there.
B — risk. “endanger” means v. put in danger. Study “endanger” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “peevish”?
B — Irritable. “peevish” means adj. easily annoyed. Study “peevish” →
Which of the following words is most similar in meaning to “genial”?
C — affable. “genial” means adj. friendly and cheerful. Study “genial” →
In the context of the sentence, “The lawyer began to presume the outcome of the trial based on the evidence at hand,” what is the best synonym for “presume”?
A — Assume. “presume” means v. assume, suppose. Study “presume” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “derive”:
B — originate. “derive” means v. get from, originate. Study “derive” →
Select the synonym for the word “orthodox” as used in the following sentence: “The community adhered to orthodox customs that had been passed down through generations.”
B — Traditional. “orthodox” means adj. traditional, standard. Study “orthodox” →
Choose the synonym for the following word: Agile.
B — Nimble. “agile” means adj. able to move quickly. Study “agile” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “document” in the sentence: The lawyer asked for the official document to verify the claim.
B — certificate. “document” means n./v. written record. Study “document” →
Select the synonym for the following word: potential.
A — capacity. “potential” means adj./n. possible, ability. Study “potential” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for the following: turmoil.
D — confusion. “turmoil” means n. extreme confusion or agitation. Study “turmoil” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “acclaim” as used in the sentence: The actor received widespread acclaim for his powerful performance.
B — applause. “acclaim” means v./n. praise publicly. Study “acclaim” →
Select the best synonym for the word “fruitless”:
C — futile. “fruitless” means adj. unsuccessful. Study “fruitless” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “comprehensive”: The new library offers a comprehensive collection of books and digital resources.
C — complete. “comprehensive” means adj. all-inclusive, complete. Study “comprehensive” →
Which of the following is the best synonym for the word “persist”?
A — continue. “persist” means v. continue, last. Study “persist” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “repetition”?
B — Recurrence. “repetition” means n. doing again and again. Study “repetition” →
Which of the following words is the closest in meaning to “thrifty”?
B — Economical. “thrifty” means adj. careful with money. Study “thrifty” →
Bright security lights can ______ thieves from breaking into the shop.
C — deter. “deter” means v. prevent, discourage. Study “deter” →
Only a few ______ trees grew on the dry, windswept hill.
D — sparse. “sparse” means adj. thinly scattered, few. Study “sparse” →
Over the years, the museum managed to ______ many rare paintings.
D — acquire. “acquire” means v. get, obtain. Study “acquire” →
The queen will ______ a shining medal upon the brave young soldier.
C — bestow. “bestow” means v. give as an honor. Study “bestow” →
If the safety rules are ignored, chaos is certain to ______.
B — ensue. “ensue” means v. happen as a result. Study “ensue” →
As a truly ______ fan, he never missed a single home game.
B — ardent. “ardent” means adj. passionate, enthusiastic. Study “ardent” →
A warm bath can help ______ the aches of a long, tiring day.
D — alleviate. “alleviate” means v. make better, ease. Study “alleviate” →
The massive oil spill was an environmental ______ of enormous scale.
C — catastrophe. “catastrophe” means n. disaster, tragedy. Study “catastrophe” →
Try not to ______ your neighbors by playing loud music late at night.
A — antagonize. “antagonize” means v. make someone an enemy. Study “antagonize” →
The party was very ______, so no one bothered to dress up.
A — casual. “casual” means adj. informal, relaxed. Study “casual” →
The committee decided the daring plan was risky but still ______.
C — viable. “viable” means adj. workable, able to survive. Study “viable” →
The teacher read a short ______ from the famous novel to the class.
A — excerpt. “excerpt” means n. short part from text. Study “excerpt” →
In the story, the character''s plan to build a house made entirely out of chocolate was considered ________.
B — ludicrous. “ludicrous” means adj. ridiculous, absurd. Study “ludicrous” →
The sudden flood was a ______ that left hundreds of families homeless.
A — tragedy. “tragedy” means n. terrible event. Study “tragedy” →
A short ______ beneath the photo explained exactly where it was taken.
D — caption. “caption” means n. title, explanation. Study “caption” →
Winning the award completely changed the public's ______ of the young author.
A — perception. “perception” means n. way of understanding/seeing. Study “perception” →
Climbing the steep cliff was the greatest ______ of the whole trip.
C — challenge. “challenge” means n./v. difficult task, question. Study “challenge” →
In that country, it is ______ to remove your shoes before entering a home.
D — customary. “customary” means adj. usual, traditional. Study “customary” →
The harsh captain's cruelty finally sparked a ______ among the sailors.
A — mutiny. “mutiny” means n. rebellion against authority. Study “mutiny” →
The tall pine trees began to ______ gently in the warm summer breeze.
C — sway. “sway” means v. to move slowly back and forth; n. influence or control. Study “sway” →
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.