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.
Select the best synonym for the word “inventive”:
A — ingenious. “inventive” means adj. creative, original. Study “inventive” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to the word “theory” as it is used below: The scientist proposed a new theory to explain the unusual behavior of the particles.
A — hypothesis. “theory” means n. idea to explain something. Study “theory” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “briskly” as it is used in the sentence: She walked briskly to the meeting to ensure she was not late.
C — quickly. “briskly” means adv. quickly, energetically. Study “briskly” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to: desist.
C — refrain. “desist” means v. stop, cease. Study “desist” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “blatant” as used in the sentence: “The student”s attempt to cheat was so blatant that the teacher immediately noticed''?
B — Obvious. “blatant” means adj. obvious, flagrant. Study “blatant” →
Select the best synonym for the word “approach”:
C — advance. “approach” means v./n. come near, way to deal with. Study “approach” →
Which word is a synonym for “preview” based on the context of reviewing material beforehand?
A — Review. “preview” means n./v. early look, show in advance. Study “preview” →
In the museum, the curator decided to exhibit the ancient artifacts to showcase their historical importance. What is the synonym of “exhibit” in this context?
B — display. “exhibit” means v./n. show, display. Study “exhibit” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “articulate”:
A — Eloquent. “articulate” means adj./v. able to express clearly. Study “articulate” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “voracious”: The young reader was so voracious that she finished an entire book in one sitting.
A — insatiable. “voracious” means adj. having a huge appetite. Study “voracious” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “dedicate”.
A — devote. “dedicate” means v. devote oneself, commit. Study “dedicate” →
Which of the following words is the best synonym for “concur”?
B — agree. “concur” means v. agree, happen together. Study “concur” →
Which word is a synonym for “tolerant”?
D — accepting. “tolerant” means adj. willing to accept behaviors or beliefs different from one''s own.. Study “tolerant” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “indolent”?
C — Lazy. “indolent” means adj. lazy, avoiding activity. Study “indolent” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to the word: connotation.
A — implication. “connotation” means n. implied meaning. Study “connotation” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to: anarchy
A — chaos. “anarchy” means n. lack of government. Study “anarchy” →
Choose the synonym for the word “impotent” from the options below:
A — powerless. “impotent” means adj. powerless, weak. Study “impotent” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “ambiguous” in the following sentence: The instructions her teacher gave were so ambiguous that Sarah was unsure about the assignment.
B — Vague. “ambiguous” means adj. unclear, more than one meaning. Study “ambiguous” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “legacy”:
B — inheritance. “legacy” means n. something handed down from the past. Study “legacy” →
Which word is a synonym for firebrand?
B — Rebel. “firebrand” means n. troublemaker, agitator. Study “firebrand” →
After the long run, a cold glass of water helped ______ her thirst.
D — quench. “quench” means v. satisfy (thirst), put out (fire). Study “quench” →
The historian discovered an old ______ that revealed the town's true founding.
A — document. “document” means n./v. written record. Study “document” →
After being cheated once before, she grew ______ of every stranger's offer.
A — wary. “wary” means adj. careful, cautious. Study “wary” →
In the meeting, Sarah decided to politely ___ the proposal by offering a different perspective.
B — rebuff. “rebuff” means v./n. reject sharply. Study “rebuff” →
The small tent provided ______ shelter for the two tired campers.
D — adequate. “adequate” means adj. enough, sufficient. Study “adequate” →
The badly broken ankle caused him ______ pain with every single step.
B — excruciating. “excruciating” means adj. extremely painful. Study “excruciating” →
The delighted audience began to ______ loudly as the singer finished.
A — applaud. “applaud” means v. to show approval or praise by clapping.. Study “applaud” →
He felt strongly that teaching was his true ______ in life.
C — vocation. “vocation” means n. job or profession. Study “vocation” →
The angry citizens rose up to ______ the cruel and greedy dictator.
C — overthrow. “overthrow” means v./n. remove from power. Study “overthrow” →
The ______ old inventor filled his house with strange and wonderful machines.
A — eccentric. “eccentric” means adj. odd, peculiar. Study “eccentric” →
The clever villain is the most memorable ______ in the entire novel.
D — character. “character” means n. person in story; quality. Study “character” →
The scientists were amazed by the ______ heat wave that summer.
D — unprecedented. “unprecedented” means adj. never happened before. Study “unprecedented” →
Once smartphones appeared, many old gadgets quickly became ______.
D — obsolete. “obsolete” means adj. out of date, no longer used. Study “obsolete” →
The nervous young singer made her ______ before a sold-out crowd.
B — debut. “debut” means n. first appearance. Study “debut” →
A straight line drawn down the middle will ______ the square into two equal halves.
D — bisect. “bisect” means v. divide in two. Study “bisect” →
The governor decided to ______ the prisoner after new evidence appeared.
A — pardon. “pardon” means v./n. forgive; legal forgiveness. Study “pardon” →
The whole country fell into ______ after the government suddenly collapsed.
B — turmoil. “turmoil” means n. extreme confusion or agitation. Study “turmoil” →
The bank will ______ the money into your account by tomorrow morning.
B — transfer. “transfer” means v./n. move from one to another. Study “transfer” →
They spent the weekend in a ______ hotel with silk sheets and gold taps.
C — luxurious. “luxurious” means adj. very comfortable and expensive. Study “luxurious” →
The gymnast gave a truly ______ performance that stunned all the judges.
C — impressive. “impressive” means adj. admirable; making strong effect. Study “impressive” →
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.