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 synonym for the word “reign”:
A — rule. “reign” means n./v. rule as monarch. Study “reign” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “dispatch”.
B — send. “dispatch” means v./n. send, quick action. Study “dispatch” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “congested”: The highway was so congested that it took us an extra hour to get home.
A — crowded. “congested” means adj. overcrowded, blocked. Study “congested” →
Choose the synonym for the word in bold: The letter marked as **urgent** needs to be delivered immediately.
C — immediate. “urgent” means adj. needing immediate action. Study “urgent” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “intercept”:
A — capture. “intercept” means v. stop or seize before arrival. Study “intercept” →
What is the synonym of exasperate as used in the following sentence? “The repeated delays began to exasperate the passengers, who were eager to reach their destinations.”
B — Irritate. “exasperate” means v. annoy extremely. Study “exasperate” →
Select the best synonym for the word “aggressive”:
A — assertive. “aggressive” means adj. ready to attack, assertive. Study “aggressive” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “correspond”?
B — communicate. “correspond” means v. match, communicate. Study “correspond” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “impressive” in the following sentence: The student''s presentation was so impressive that it earned her a round of applause from the entire audience.
B — Remarkable. “impressive” means adj. admirable; making strong effect. Study “impressive” →
What is a synonym for the word “liberal”?
A — Generous. “liberal” means adj. generous, open-minded. Study “liberal” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to: obedient.
A — submissive. “obedient” means adj. doing what told, compliant. Study “obedient” →
What is a synonym for the word “prone” in the following sentence? “She is prone to outbursts of anger under stress.”
B — liable. “prone” means adj. likely to suffer from or experience something undesirable. Study “prone” →
Choose the synonym for the word “translate” in the following sentence: “In order to make the instructions clear, the teacher had to translate them for the students.”
A — interpret. “translate” means v. change to another language. Study “translate” →
In the harsh winter, the once healthy deer became quite gaunt. Which of the following words is a synonym for “gaunt”?
C — Emaciated. “gaunt” means adj. very thin and weak. Study “gaunt” →
In the historical novel, the ship“s crew decided to stage a mutiny against the captain due to his harsh leadership. Which word is a synonym for ”mutiny'' as used in this context?
A — Revolt. “mutiny” means n. rebellion against authority. Study “mutiny” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “dialect”:
C — language. “dialect” means n. local language. Study “dialect” →
Choose the synonym for the word redundant as used in the following sentence: The article was criticized for including several redundant paragraphs that repeated the same point.
B — unnecessary. “redundant” means adj. not needed, extra. Study “redundant” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to: tamper.
A — interfere. “tamper” means v. interfere with something secretly. Study “tamper” →
Choose the word that is the closest synonym to “overwhelm”: The unexpected amount of homework seemed to overwhelm the students, making it difficult for them to focus on anything else.
D — overpower. “overwhelm” means v. flood, overpower. Study “overwhelm” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “abhor”: The students in the class began to abhor the new rules that restricted their free time.
C — detest. “abhor” means v. dislike deeply. Study “abhor” →
Our ______ neighbors invited us in for tea the moment we arrived.
C — hospitable. “hospitable” means adj. welcoming to guests. Study “hospitable” →
The teacher drew a helpful ______ between the heart and a pump.
B — analogy. “analogy” means n. comparison. Study “analogy” →
Exhausted and feverish, the patient mumbled ______ sentences.
D — incoherent. “incoherent” means adj. unclear, disorganized. Study “incoherent” →
Dozens of talented young singers will ______ for the single top prize.
B — vie. “vie” means v. compete for something. Study “vie” →
He picked up the sleeping baby ______, terrified of waking her.
B — gingerly. “gingerly” means adv. carefully, cautiously. Study “gingerly” →
He could not help but ______ when the nurse cleaned the deep cut.
A — wince. “wince” means v. shrink back in pain. Study “wince” →
The hikers chose the shortest ______ to reach the mountain top.
C — route. “route” means n. way, path. Study “route” →
The new elevator makes the top floor ______ to everyone in the building.
A — accessible. “accessible” means adj. easy to approach or reach. Study “accessible” →
Her deep frown seemed to ______ that she strongly disagreed with the plan.
A — imply. “imply” means v. suggest, hint. Study “imply” →
The engineers had to ______ the design after the very first test failed.
A — modify. “modify” means v. change or adjust. Study “modify” →
Her ______ reaction was pure shock, but she soon began to smile.
A — initial. “initial” means adj. occurring at the beginning. Study “initial” →
A steady diet of vegetables can ______ good health for many years.
B — sustain. “sustain” means v. to support, maintain, or keep something going. Study “sustain” →
He seemed completely ______ to the suffering happening all around him.
B — indifferent. “indifferent” means adj. not caring, unconcerned. Study “indifferent” →
A wave of pure ______ swept over her when she won the gold medal.
D — elation. “elation” means n. great happiness. Study “elation” →
The lively market sold ______ fruits from faraway tropical islands.
C — exotic. “exotic” means adj. foreign, unusual. Study “exotic” →
The cashier paused a moment to ______ the total cost of all the groceries.
D — calculate. “calculate” means v. figure out by numbers. Study “calculate” →
The reporter's rude questions began to ______ the tired actor.
C — agitate. “agitate” means v. stir up, disturb. Study “agitate” →
It soon became ______ that the hasty plan would never work.
D — apparent. “apparent” means adj. obvious, clear. Study “apparent” →
Adding the ______ un to the word happy changes its meaning to the opposite.
D — prefix. “prefix” means n./v. word part before root. Study “prefix” →
As a wildly ______ reader, she finished three thick books in a single week.
A — avid. “avid” means adj. eager, enthusiastic. Study “avid” →
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.