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 words is closest in meaning to “effervescent”?
C — bubbly. “effervescent” means adj. lively and enthusiastic. Study “effervescent” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “perpetuity”:
B — eternity. “perpetuity” means n. eternity; forever; permanence. Study “perpetuity” →
What is the best synonym for the word “tangential” as used in this sentence: “His comments were mostly tangential to the main discussion”?
B — peripheral. “tangential” means adj. only slightly connected or related, not central or directly related. Study “tangential” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “ethos”?
A — Culture. “ethos” means n. spirit; character; guiding beliefs. Study “ethos” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “tepid” as used in the sentence: The audience''s applause was tepid, indicating their lack of enthusiasm for the performance.
C — lukewarm. “tepid” means adj. lukewarm mild unenthusiastic. Study “tepid” →
Which word is most similar in meaning to “defiant”?
B — rebellious. “defiant” means adj. showing bold resistance or challenging authority. Study “defiant” →
Which word is a synonym of inhibit?
A — restrain. “inhibit” means v. to hold back or prevent an action. Study “inhibit” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “transcend”?
B — surpass. “transcend” means v. to rise above or go beyond the limits of. Study “transcend” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “facsimile” in the following sentence: The museum displayed a facsimile of the historical document since the original was too fragile to be shown.
A — copy. “facsimile” means n. exact copy; reproduction; duplicate. Study “facsimile” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “contempt”:
C — Disdain. “contempt” means n. scorn; disdain; disrespect. Study “contempt” →
Choose the word most similar in meaning to: commodious.
B — spacious. “commodious” means adj. spacious and comfortable. Study “commodious” →
Choose the word that is the closest synonym to “assert”:
A — Declare. “assert” means v. declare; claim; maintain. Study “assert” →
What is the best synonym for the word “distend” as used in the sentence? “After the rainstorm, the river began to distend and threatened to overflow its banks.”
C — swell. “distend” means v. to swell or expand as from internal pressure. Study “distend” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “retribution”?
A — Revenge. “retribution” means n. punishment revenge justice. Study “retribution” →
Choose the synonym for the word “reprehensible” in the following sentence: The judge found the defendant''s actions to be utterly reprehensible, deserving of the strongest punishment.
C — blameworthy. “reprehensible” means Adj. blameworthy; condemnable; shameful. Study “reprehensible” →
Choose the synonym for the word “attest”.
A — certify. “attest” means v. to certify; confirm; witness. Study “attest” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “negligible”: The impact of the change in policy was so small that it was considered negligible.
B — Minor. “negligible” means adj. insignificant; trivial; minimal. Study “negligible” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “palpable” in this sentence: The tension in the room was so intense, it was almost palpable.
B — obvious. “palpable” means adj. tangible; obvious; noticeable. Study “palpable” →
Select the best synonym for the word “impractical” as used in the sentence: “While the design was beautiful, it was completely impractical for everyday use.”
A — Unfeasible. “impractical” means adj. unrealistic; unfeasible; useless. Study “impractical” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “cavalier”:
A — Arrogant. “cavalier” means adj. careless; arrogant; dismissive. Study “cavalier” →
A real diamond has ______ value that does not depend on passing fashion.
A — intrinsic. “intrinsic” means adj. inherent; essential; built-in. Study “intrinsic” →
A good leader holds herself ______ for the team's mistakes.
D — accountable. “accountable” means adj. responsible for actions or decisions; required to explain oneself. Study “accountable” →
The math ______ solved in mere seconds a problem that stumped everyone else.
B — savant. “savant” means n. scholar; learned person; expert. Study “savant” →
The ______ club admitted only a small handful of very wealthy members.
A — exclusive. “exclusive” means adj. not shared or available to everyone; limited to a particular group or person. Study “exclusive” →
It was pure ______ to set sail straight into the storm in such a tiny boat.
A — folly. “folly” means n. lack of good sense or judgment; foolishness.. Study “folly” →
In the context of providing financial support, which word best fits the following: He has been a long-time ____ of the arts.
B — patron. “patron” means n. a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity. Study “patron” →
On her birthday, she likes to ______ in a big slice of chocolate cake.
C — indulge. “indulge” means v. to allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of. Study “indulge” →
The ______ author lived all alone in the deep woods and rarely saw anyone.
B — reclusive. “reclusive” means adj. preferring to live in isolation. Study “reclusive” →
The unexpected result seemed to ______ everything the experts had believed.
B — confound. “confound” means v. to cause confusion or surprise in someone. Study “confound” →
Her joy was ______ in the huge smile that lit up her whole face.
C — manifest. “manifest” means adj. clear or obvious to the eye or mind. Study “manifest” →
The cramped living conditions in the crowded prison were simply ______.
C — appalling. “appalling” means adj. shocking terrible horrifying. Study “appalling” →
Her ______ wit could reduce even the most confident speakers to silence.
A — caustic. “caustic” means adj. corrosive; sarcastic; harsh. Study “caustic” →
The wise old owl is a familiar ______ of the dark, silent forest.
C — denizen. “denizen” means n. an inhabitant or occupant of a particular place. Study “denizen” →
The ______ crowd shouted and shoved as the stadium gates finally opened.
A — tumultuous. “tumultuous” means adj. chaotic turbulent noisy. Study “tumultuous” →
Trusting her ______, she chose the path that simply felt right.
C — intuition. “intuition” means n. the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.. Study “intuition” →
She had a sudden ______ of danger and flatly refused to board the plane.
B — premonition. “premonition” means n. a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant.. Study “premonition” →
There was something deeply ______ about the empty house's sudden silence.
A — disconcerting. “disconcerting” means adj. disturbing; unsettling; troubling. Study “disconcerting” →
Ever ______, he assumed the whole trip would be ruined before it even began.
C — pessimistic. “pessimistic” means adj. tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen. Study “pessimistic” →
In the context of scientific discussions, the professor often referred to the _____ aspects of the research.
A — theoretical. “theoretical” means adj. Abstract and hypothetical; conceptual. Study “theoretical” →
The ______ new recruit followed every order without a single question.
A — compliant. “compliant” means adj. obedient conforming submissive. Study “compliant” →
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 Upper 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.