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 “obvious”:
C — clear. “obvious” means adj. easily perceived or understood; clear, self-evident.. Study “obvious” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “capricious”?
C — Fickle. “capricious” means adj. unpredictable, impulsive. Study “capricious” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “approximate”.
A — Estimate. “approximate” means adj./v. nearly correct, close to. Study “approximate” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to perish.
C — expire. “perish” means v. die, be destroyed. Study “perish” →
Which word is a synonym for “applaud”?
B — cheer. “applaud” means v. to show approval or praise by clapping.. Study “applaud” →
Which of the following words is the best synonym for “deprive”? The citizens were worried that the new laws would deprive them of certain freedoms.
C — rob. “deprive” means v. take something away. Study “deprive” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “rankle”?
B — irritate. “rankle” means v. irritate, cause persistent anger. Study “rankle” →
Choose the synonym for the word “hindrance” as used in the following sentence: “The heavy rainfall was a significant hindrance to the construction crew, delaying the project by several weeks.”
B — obstacle. “hindrance” means n. obstacle, barrier. Study “hindrance” →
In the sentence After winning the championship, the team began to exult, what is the best synonym for exult?
B — Celebrate. “exult” means v. rejoice greatly, celebrate. Study “exult” →
Which word is a synonym for “mellow”?
B — soft. “mellow” means adj. smooth, gentle. Study “mellow” →
Which word is the best synonym for “achievement”?
C — Accomplishment. “achievement” means n. something done successfully. Study “achievement” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “prodigy”?
B — genius. “prodigy” means n. young genius. Study “prodigy” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “permanent”:
B — Eternal. “permanent” means adj. lasting, never ending. Study “permanent” →
Which of the following words is the closest in meaning to “subtle”?
C — Nuanced. “subtle” means adj. not obvious, delicate. Study “subtle” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “challenge”?
A — opposition. “challenge” means n./v. difficult task, question. Study “challenge” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “opposed”.
A — resistant. “opposed” means adj. against, in conflict. Study “opposed” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “resemble”:
A — imitate. “resemble” means v. to look like. Study “resemble” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for flaw.
A — error. “flaw” means n. defect, fault. Study “flaw” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “recourse” as used in the sentence: In times of trouble, she had no recourse but to ask her friends for help.
D — option. “recourse” means n. help in a difficult situation. Study “recourse” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “abolish”:
D — eliminate. “abolish” means v. officially end or stop. Study “abolish” →
The long, bitter ______ between the two families lasted for generations.
D — feud. “feud” means n./v. bitter quarrel, conflict. Study “feud” →
The fireworks all exploded ______, lighting up the entire night sky.
C — simultaneously. “simultaneously” means adv. at the same time. Study “simultaneously” →
The ______ dog sat still the very moment its owner gave the command.
C — obedient. “obedient” means adj. doing what told, compliant. Study “obedient” →
Both water and sunlight are ______ for a young plant to grow.
D — essential. “essential” means adj. absolutely necessary; extremely important. Study “essential” →
In times of war, the residents took refuge in the ______________ to protect themselves from invaders.
A — citadel. “citadel” means n. fortress in a city. Study “citadel” →
The wise old man was famous for his short, ______ sayings.
A — pithy. “pithy” means adj. brief, forceful in meaning. Study “pithy” →
In the barren desert, the explorers'' search for water proved to be ______.
B — fruitless. “fruitless” means adj. unsuccessful. Study “fruitless” →
Fans quickly began to ______ the fast new player the Rocket.
B — dub. “dub” means v. give a name, label. Study “dub” →
The doctor gave the anxious patient a mild ______ to help him sleep.
D — sedative. “sedative” means n./adj. drug that calms; calming. Study “sedative” →
When she fell gravely ill, her closest ______ traveled far to be with her.
B — kin. “kin” means n. relatives, family. Study “kin” →
The famous research ______ studies dangerous diseases from around the world.
B — institute. “institute” means n. organization; v. start. Study “institute” →
The government voted to ______ all weapons sold to the warring nation.
C — embargo. “embargo” means n. official ban (trade). Study “embargo” →
The ______ speaker explained the complex idea with perfect clarity.
A — articulate. “articulate” means adj./v. able to express clearly. Study “articulate” →
She gave him a deeply ______ look when he claimed to have met the president.
A — incredulous. “incredulous” means adj. unable to believe. Study “incredulous” →
The tiny puppy grew up to closely ______ its two enormous parents.
C — resemble. “resemble” means v. to look like. Study “resemble” →
In spring, the shallow pond seems to ______ with tiny darting fish.
C — teem. “teem” means v. be full, swarm. Study “teem” →
You need a ______ ticket to board the crowded morning train.
A — valid. “valid” means adj. acceptable, well-grounded. Study “valid” →
During the flood, it was ______ that everyone leave the building immediately.
A — imperative. “imperative” means adj./n. absolutely necessary, order. Study “imperative” →
After the earthquake, the once-grand building was reduced to ______.
D — rubble. “rubble” means n. broken pieces, debris. Study “rubble” →
After a short break for lunch, the workers will ______ building the wall.
A — resume. “resume” means v. start again after a pause. Study “resume” →
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.