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.
Which of the following is the best synonym for the word “pertinent” as used in the sentence: “The lawyer asked the witness questions that were only __________ to the case at hand”?
B — pertinent. “pertinent” means adj. relevant, directly related to. Study “pertinent” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “gradual”?
B — steady. “gradual” means adj. happening slowly over a period of time. Study “gradual” →
Select the best synonym for the word “miniature”:
A — tiny. “miniature” means n./adj. very small version. Study “miniature” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to: famished.
A — Hungry. “famished” means adj. extremely hungry. Study “famished” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to pique: To consistently __________ someone could ruin a friendship.
D — irritate. “pique” means v. stimulate interest; n. angry feeling. Study “pique” →
What is a synonym for “cater”?
B — provide. “cater” means v. provide food/services. Study “cater” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “ovation” as it is used in this sentence: After the performance, the audience gave the actors a standing ovation.
A — applause. “ovation” means n. loud applause. Study “ovation” →
Choose the word that has the closest meaning to “sabotage”: The workers threatened to sabotage the machinery if their demands were not met.
B — destroy. “sabotage” means v./n. deliberately destroy. Study “sabotage” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “comply”:
B — obey. “comply” means v. follow rules, obey. Study “comply” →
Which word is the best synonym for “excerpt”?
A — Extract. “excerpt” means n. short part from text. Study “excerpt” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “nurture”.
B — cultivate. “nurture” means v./n. care for, educate. Study “nurture” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “citadel”:
D — stronghold. “citadel” means n. fortress in a city. Study “citadel” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to: formula.
A — equation. “formula” means n. rule, set recipe. Study “formula” →
Select the best synonym for the word “vocation” as used in the sentence: “She discovered her true vocation as a teacher and felt fulfilled in her career choice.”
B — occupation. “vocation” means n. job or profession. Study “vocation” →
Which word is the best synonym for “narrative”?
A — story. “narrative” means n. story, account. Study “narrative” →
Which word is most similar in meaning to “variegate”?
A — Adorn. “variegate” means v. diversify, add variety. Study “variegate” →
Which of the following is the best synonym for the word “wage”?
A — salary. “wage” means n. payment for work; v. carry out. Study “wage” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “gravity” as used in contexts relating to science?
B — weight. “gravity” means n. force that pulls objects down; seriousness. Study “gravity” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “addict”.
B — Enthusiast. “addict” means n. person who is dependent. Study “addict” →
Choose the synonym for the word “deter”:
C — prevent. “deter” means v. prevent, discourage. Study “deter” →
A rather ______ smell drifted out of the old, forgotten refrigerator.
C — peculiar. “peculiar” means adj. strange, unusual. Study “peculiar” →
After the long party, all the guests returned to their ______ homes.
B — respective. “respective” means adj. belonging to each separately. Study “respective” →
A quick-thinking ______ called for help when the old man suddenly collapsed.
C — bystander. “bystander” means n. onlooker, spectator. Study “bystander” →
In one short paragraph, please ______ the entire long article.
B — summarize. “summarize” means v. state the main points. Study “summarize” →
The word home carries a warm ______ that the word house simply lacks.
C — connotation. “connotation” means n. implied meaning. Study “connotation” →
Please ______ the office at once if you plan to be absent tomorrow.
B — notify. “notify” means v. inform, tell. Study “notify” →
The ______ waiter mixed up all the orders during the busy lunch rush.
A — flustered. “flustered” means adj. nervous, confused. Study “flustered” →
A small pinch of salt can greatly ______ the flavor of the dish.
D — enhance. “enhance” means v. improve, increase. Study “enhance” →
It is dishonest to ______ another writer's words and call them your own.
C — plagiarize. “plagiarize” means v. copy without giving credit. Study “plagiarize” →
The disease was once ______ but is now very rare thanks to vaccines.
B — prevalent. “prevalent” means adj. widespread, common. Study “prevalent” →
Dark clouds and rolling thunder warned that a fierce storm was ______.
B — imminent. “imminent” means adj. about to happen soon. Study “imminent” →
Tired and hungry, the ______ child complained about absolutely everything.
A — peevish. “peevish” means adj. easily annoyed. Study “peevish” →
Being ______, she carefully saved a little from every paycheck she earned.
C — thrifty. “thrifty” means adj. careful with money. Study “thrifty” →
The audience was given a short ______ of next week's exciting episode.
C — preview. “preview” means n./v. early look, show in advance. Study “preview” →
The hermit's humble ______ was a small hut deep in the woods.
B — abode. “abode” means n. home, residence. Study “abode” →
With no other ______ left, the stranded hikers called for a rescue.
B — recourse. “recourse” means n. help in a difficult situation. Study “recourse” →
New immigrants often work hard to ______ into their adopted country.
D — assimilate. “assimilate” means v. absorb, blend in. Study “assimilate” →
The still lake looked utterly ______ under the soft glow of the moon.
A — serene. “serene” means adj. calm, peaceful. Study “serene” →
The so-called miracle cure was a ______ that helped absolutely no one.
A — sham. “sham” means n./adj. fake, not real. Study “sham” →
Lost in his book, he was completely ______ to the noise all around him.
A — oblivious. “oblivious” means adj. unaware, not noticing. Study “oblivious” →
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.