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 word that is a synonym for “bigot”:
A — fanatic. “bigot” means n. person intolerant of different opinions. Study “bigot” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “caption”:
A — description. “caption” means n. title, explanation. Study “caption” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “tentative”:
B — provisional. “tentative” means adj. uncertain, not final. Study “tentative” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “allocate”:
A — distribute. “allocate” means v. distribute. Study “allocate” →
In the small town, the families had a long-standing feud that kept them from speaking to each other. Which word is closest in meaning to “feud”?
A — argument. “feud” means n./v. bitter quarrel, conflict. Study “feud” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “debilitating”:
D — enervating. “debilitating” means adj. weakening. Study “debilitating” →
Select the best synonym for the word “solitary”:
A — lone. “solitary” means adj. alone, single. Study “solitary” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to advocate: Having always been passionate about environmental issues, Sarah often acts as a strong __________ for climate change awareness.
B — supporter. “advocate” means v. support; n. supporter. Study “advocate” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “servile”:
B — submissive. “servile” means adj. overly obedient, submissive. Study “servile” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to pluck in the context of the sentence: To complete the dish, the chef had to pluck fresh herbs from the garden.
A — gather. “pluck” means v./n. pull something; courage. Study “pluck” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “capable”:
B — Skilled. “capable” means adj. able, competent. Study “capable” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “murky” as used in the following sentence: The lake was so murky that we couldn''t see the bottom.
B — dark. “murky” means adj. dark, unclear. Study “murky” →
Which word is a synonym for humble?
B — modest. “humble” means adj. having or showing a modest or low estimate of one''s own importance. Study “humble” →
Choose the word that is the best synonym for “concept”:
A — idea. “concept” means n. idea, notion. Study “concept” →
Which word is a synonym for modify?
B — change. “modify” means v. change or adjust. Study “modify” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “customary”: In many cultures, it is _______ to greet people with a handshake.
A — usual. “customary” means adj. usual, traditional. Study “customary” →
Choose the synonym for the word “vertical”:
A — upright. “vertical” means adj. upright, up and down. Study “vertical” →
In the sentence below, choose the best synonym for the word “revolt”: The citizens began to revolt against the unjust laws imposed by the government.
C — rebel. “revolt” means v./n. rebel, rise against authority. Study “revolt” →
Choose the word that is the best synonym for “gist” as used in the following sentence: The teacher explained the gist of the story, highlighting the most important events.
C — summary. “gist” means n. main idea. Study “gist” →
Which word is the best synonym for “dire”?
B — urgent. “dire” means adj. very serious, urgent. Study “dire” →
The ______ student listened carefully and took detailed notes.
A — attentive. “attentive” means adj. paying close attention to something. Study “attentive” →
The manager sent a brief ______ reminding all staff of the meeting.
C — memorandum. “memorandum” means n. written message/reminder. Study “memorandum” →
The DNA test finally provided ______ proof of the suspect's guilt.
D — conclusive. “conclusive” means adj. final, decisive. Study “conclusive” →
He liked to ______ through the bookstore for hours without ever buying anything.
A — browse. “browse” means v. look through casually. Study “browse” →
To stay healthy, you should ______ eating too much sugar.
B — avoid. “avoid” means v. keep away from, prevent. Study “avoid” →
In many countries, a nod of the head is used to ______ agreement.
C — signify. “signify” means v. mean, show. Study “signify” →
So many orders at once began to ______ the small family bakery.
D — overwhelm. “overwhelm” means v. flood, overpower. Study “overwhelm” →
The wise queen's peaceful ______ brought great wealth to the whole land.
B — reign. “reign” means n./v. rule as monarch. Study “reign” →
A single careless campfire can ______ the entire dry forest.
A — endanger. “endanger” means v. put in danger. Study “endanger” →
The teacher used a simple model to ______ how volcanoes erupt.
C — demonstrate. “demonstrate” means v. show, prove. Study “demonstrate” →
The bank must ______ your identity before opening a new account.
A — verify. “verify” means v. prove true or correct. Study “verify” →
The team won five ______ games without a single loss.
A — consecutive. “consecutive” means adj. following one after another. Study “consecutive” →
Her family decided to ______ to Canada in search of a better life.
A — immigrate. “immigrate” means v. move to another country. Study “immigrate” →
A truly good actor can ______ deep emotion with just a single glance.
C — convey. “convey” means v. communicate, transport. Study “convey” →
Without water for many days, the crops began to ______ in the fields.
B — perish. “perish” means v. die, be destroyed. Study “perish” →
The young painter developed a unique ______ for mixing bright colors.
B — technique. “technique” means n. skilled way of doing something. Study “technique” →
She took a second job to ______ her rather modest income.
D — augment. “augment” means v. increase, add to. Study “augment” →
One early failure should never ______ a truly determined student.
A — dishearten. “dishearten” means v. discourage, depress. Study “dishearten” →
The generous charity works hard to ______ food and shelter for the homeless.
C — provide. “provide” means v. give, supply. Study “provide” →
A ______ society welcomes people of many different religions and views.
D — tolerant. “tolerant” means adj. willing to accept behaviors or beliefs different from one''s own.. Study “tolerant” →
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.