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 word is closest in meaning to “attentive”?
B — observant. “attentive” means adj. paying close attention to something. Study “attentive” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “hazy” in this context: The mountains were barely visible through the hazy morning air.
B — misty. “hazy” means adj. unclear, misty. Study “hazy” →
Choose the synonym for the word “prior” as used in the sentence: “She double-checked her schedule to make sure she had no prior commitments.”
B — previous. “prior” means adj. previous, earlier. Study “prior” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “humane”: The animal shelter staff strive to provide __________ care to all the rescued animals.
A — compassionate. “humane” means adj. showing kindness to people/animals. Study “humane” →
Which word is a synonym for “alter”?
B — change. “alter” means v. to change or modify. Study “alter” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “imply”:
B — suggest. “imply” means v. suggest, hint. Study “imply” →
Which word is a synonym for “saga” in the context of literature?
B — epic. “saga” means n. long story, adventure. Study “saga” →
In the early 1800s, many adventurous settlers moved west to make new territories their home. Which word is closest in meaning to “pioneer”?
B — Settler. “pioneer” means n./v. first to do something. Study “pioneer” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “glut”:
D — surplus. “glut” means n./v. too much, oversupply. Study “glut” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “validate”:
B — verify. “validate” means v. confirm, make legal. Study “validate” →
Which word is a synonym for “enrich” in the context of “The program aims to enrich the lives of children”?
B — enhance. “enrich” means v. to improve or enhance the quality or value of something. Study “enrich” →
In order to maintain peace and harmony at the office, Jake tries to avoid unnecessary conflicts. Which word is a synonym for “avoid”?
B — evade. “avoid” means v. keep away from, prevent. Study “avoid” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “doctrine”:
D — tenet. “doctrine” means n. teaching, principle. Study “doctrine” →
Choose the synonym for the word “recur”.
B — repeat. “recur” means v. happen again. Study “recur” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “hearty” as used in the sentence: The explorer prepared a hearty meal before setting off on his journey.
B — Substantial. “hearty” means adj. warm, healthy (applause, meal). Study “hearty” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “sway” as used in the sentence: His speech had the power to sway the audience?
B — influence. “sway” means v. to move slowly back and forth; n. influence or control. Study “sway” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “legitimate”. The student''s concerns about the fairness of the grading system were deemed __________ by the principal.
C — valid. “legitimate” means adj. lawful, real. Study “legitimate” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “astound”?
B — Amaze. “astound” means v. greatly surprise or shock. Study “astound” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “apparent”: After the fog cleared, the mountains became more __________.
C — obvious. “apparent” means adj. obvious, clear. Study “apparent” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “character”:
A — nature. “character” means n. person in story; quality. Study “character” →
The ______ driver honked and shouted at the car blocking the road.
C — irate. “irate” means adj. very angry. Study “irate” →
The witness answered every single question with complete ______.
B — candor. “candor” means n. honesty, openness. Study “candor” →
She sat quietly by the window to ______ the meaning of the strange dream.
C — ponder. “ponder” means v. think about carefully. Study “ponder” →
Far from home for months, the lonely sailors began to ______ for their families.
D — yearn. “yearn” means v. to have a strong desire or longing for something. Study “yearn” →
In the field of technology, being ______ is crucial for developing new gadgets that captivate consumers.
A — inventive. “inventive” means adj. creative, original. Study “inventive” →
The old factory chimneys ______ thick clouds of gray smoke all day.
A — emit. “emit” means v. to send out or give off (a gas, light, sound, etc.). Study “emit” →
The careful driver stopped to let the ______ cross the busy street.
D — pedestrian. “pedestrian” means n. person walking. Study “pedestrian” →
The gentle nurse treated every patient with warmth and deep ______.
C — compassion. “compassion” means n. sympathy, caring. Study “compassion” →
Surviving the terrible crash was a deeply ______ experience for him.
A — traumatic. “traumatic” means adj. emotionally shocking. Study “traumatic” →
Every part of the plane goes through careful ______ before takeoff.
C — scrutiny. “scrutiny” means n. careful inspection. Study “scrutiny” →
The runaway cart began to ______ down the steep, crowded street.
C — hurtle. “hurtle” means v. move very fast in a dangerous way. Study “hurtle” →
She had to ______ all of her courage before stepping onto the stage.
D — muster. “muster” means v./n. gather, collect. Study “muster” →
The doctor is not ______ right now, but she can see you tomorrow.
C — available. “available” means adj. ready or free to use. Study “available” →
Her ______ speech convinced the whole council to vote for the plan.
B — persuasive. “persuasive” means adj. able to persuade. Study “persuasive” →
The invention of the wheel was a ______ moment in human history.
B — pivotal. “pivotal” means adj. very important, central. Study “pivotal” →
The soldiers worked all night to ______ the castle walls against attack.
A — fortify. “fortify” means v. strengthen, reinforce. Study “fortify” →
Scientists discovered a brand-new ______ of tiny frog in the rainforest.
A — species. “species” means n. a type of living thing. Study “species” →
The company was hired to ______ the huge wedding reception.
D — cater. “cater” means v. provide food/services. Study “cater” →
The two candidates will ______ the issue on live television tonight.
C — debate. “debate” means n./v. formal discussion, argue. Study “debate” →
A newborn baby is completely ______ on its parents for everything.
D — dependent. “dependent” means adj. relying on others. Study “dependent” →
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.