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 most similar in meaning to “eccentric”: Despite his talent, the artist was often considered ______ due to his unconventional style and peculiar habits.
C — odd. “eccentric” means adj. odd, peculiar. Study “eccentric” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “muster”:
A — gather. “muster” means v./n. gather, collect. Study “muster” →
In the passage, the mother kneels down and begins to implore her child to come back home. What is the synonym for “implore”?
A — beseech. “implore” means v. beg intensely. Study “implore” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “crucial”:
B — vital. “crucial” means adj. very important. Study “crucial” →
Which word is a synonym for the word “commence”?
B — Begin. “commence” means v. begin. Study “commence” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “immigrate”:
B — settle. “immigrate” means v. move to another country. Study “immigrate” →
Choose the synonym for the word “summarize” as used in this sentence: The teacher asked the student to summarize the chapter in a few sentences.
C — condense. “summarize” means v. state the main points. Study “summarize” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “specific”:
C — precise. “specific” means adj. particular, precise. Study “specific” →
Choose the synonym for the word “clarify”:
B — explain. “clarify” means v. make clear. Study “clarify” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “inventory” as used in the context: The manager completed the annual inventory to assess what products needed to be reordered.
A — catalog. “inventory” means n. list of items; stock. Study “inventory” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “adept”: Despite the complexity of the task, Jenna proved herself to be quite adept in handling it.
C — skilled. “adept” means adj. skilled, expert. Study “adept” →
Choose the synonym for the word “hypothesis” in the context of scientific research.
A — Theory. “hypothesis” means n. idea to be tested, theory. Study “hypothesis” →
Select the best synonym for the word “ludicrous”:
C — absurd. “ludicrous” means adj. ridiculous, absurd. Study “ludicrous” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “emit”?
B — release. “emit” means v. to send out or give off (a gas, light, sound, etc.). Study “emit” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to “escalate”: As the debate continued, tensions between the two parties began to escalate.
C — Intensify. “escalate” means v. increase rapidly, intensify. Study “escalate” →
Which word is a synonym for dilemma?
B — predicament. “dilemma” means n. difficult choice. Study “dilemma” →
Which word is a synonym for bestow?
C — grant. “bestow” means v. give as an honor. Study “bestow” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “major”?
B — Serious. “major” means adj. important; n. main subject. Study “major” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “endure”?
B — tolerate. “endure” means v. suffer, last. Study “endure” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “procedure”?
A — Method. “procedure” means n. steps to do something. Study “procedure” →
Her ______ back pain had troubled her for many long years.
C — chronic. “chronic” means adj. long-lasting, constant. Study “chronic” →
After long talks, the two sides finally reached a lasting ______.
D — accord. “accord” means n. agreement; v. agree. Study “accord” →
The calm surface of the river was ______, hiding a dangerous current below.
A — deceptive. “deceptive” means adj. misleading, false impression. Study “deceptive” →
In the context of philosophy, a ______ refers to a particular principle or position that is held as part of a system of beliefs.
A — doctrine. “doctrine” means n. teaching, principle. Study “doctrine” →
Instead of panicking, she made a calm, ______ decision.
B — rational. “rational” means adj. logical, reasonable. Study “rational” →
The clever hunter set a ______ to catch the fast wild rabbit.
C — snare. “snare” means n./v. trap, catch. Study “snare” →
The rich, ______ soil of the valley produced huge crops every year.
C — fertile. “fertile” means adj. capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops.. Study “fertile” →
When the ruler suddenly fled, the nation fell into total ______.
D — anarchy. “anarchy” means n. lack of government. Study “anarchy” →
The desperate prisoners began to ______ the judge for mercy.
B — beseech. “beseech” means v. beg urgently. Study “beseech” →
The court ordered the factory to ______ from polluting the river.
B — desist. “desist” means v. stop, cease. Study “desist” →
Determined reformers fought for years to ______ the unjust law.
C — abolish. “abolish” means v. officially end or stop. Study “abolish” →
The friendly ______ of the shop greeted every customer by name.
A — proprietor. “proprietor” means n. owner of a business. Study “proprietor” →
The blatantly unfair decision was sure to ______ the loyal home fans.
A — incense. “incense” means v. make very angry; n. fragrance, scent. Study “incense” →
She grew ______ as the time for her important interview drew near.
C — anxious. “anxious” means adj. worried, nervous. Study “anxious” →
Her ______ talent for singing amazed everyone who heard her.
D — exceptional. “exceptional” means adj. unusually good. Study “exceptional” →
The detective tried hard to find the true ______ of the mysterious letters.
B — source. “source” means n. origin, provider. Study “source” →
The word hot is a direct ______ of the word cold.
B — antonym. “antonym” means n. word opposite in meaning. Study “antonym” →
The tiny hummingbird can ______ perfectly still beside a bright flower.
D — hover. “hover” means v. stay suspended in air. Study “hover” →
The jeweler found a tiny ______ hidden deep inside the diamond.
C — flaw. “flaw” means n. defect, fault. Study “flaw” →
The newspaper was sued for ______ after printing the false story.
D — libel. “libel” means n./v. written false statement. Study “libel” →
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.