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 “inconspicuous”.
B — Hidden. “inconspicuous” means adj. unnoticeable hidden subtle. Study “inconspicuous” →
Which word is the best synonym for “jarring” in the following sentence? The siren''s jarring noise startled everyone in the vicinity.
C — harsh. “jarring” means adj. shocking; discordant; disturbing. Study “jarring” →
Which of the following is synonymous with “infiltrate”?
B — Penetrate. “infiltrate” means v. to enter or gain access to (an organization, place, etc.) surreptitiously and gradually, especially in order to acquire secret information.. Study “infiltrate” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “meticulous” in the sentence: The artist was known for being meticulous in her work, ensuring every detail was perfect.
C — thorough. “meticulous” means adj. careful; precise; thorough. Study “meticulous” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for strenuous?
C — Arduous. “strenuous” means adj. difficult demanding arduous. Study “strenuous” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to extroverted.
C — Outgoing. “extroverted” means adj. outgoing; sociable; gregarious. Study “extroverted” →
Which word is a synonym for “amorphous”?
C — Formless. “amorphous” means adj. shapeless; formless; vague. Study “amorphous” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “denizen”?
B — inhabitant. “denizen” means n. an inhabitant or occupant of a particular place. Study “denizen” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “affluent” in the following sentence: The affluent neighborhood was known for its large homes and luxurious amenities.
A — Wealthy. “affluent” means adj. wealthy; prosperous; rich. Study “affluent” →
Which of the following is a synonym for kindle?
B — arouse. “kindle” means v. to start a fire; ignite; arouse or inspire a feeling or emotion. Study “kindle” →
Which word is a synonym for “dogma”?
B — doctrine. “dogma” means n. a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. Study “dogma” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “unfathomable”:
B — mystifying. “unfathomable” means adj. difficult or impossible to understand. Study “unfathomable” →
Select the synonym for the word “didactic” from the choices below.
A — Educational. “didactic” means adj. instructive; educational; preachy. Study “didactic” →
What is a synonym for the word “skeptical”?
B — doubtful. “skeptical” means adj. having doubts or reservations. Study “skeptical” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “depraved”. The villain in the movie was known for his depraved actions.
B — Corrupt. “depraved” means adj. corrupt immoral wicked. Study “depraved” →
What is the synonym of the word “lineage”?
B — ancestry. “lineage” means n. the line of descendants from an ancestor. Study “lineage” →
Choose the synonym for the word disparate in the following sentence: The two cultures were completely disparate, with no common customs or traditions.
B — diverse. “disparate” means Adj. fundamentally different; unrelated; distinct. Study “disparate” →
Select the best synonym for the word “fortuitous”:
A — fortunate. “fortuitous” means adj. lucky accidental fortunate. Study “fortuitous” →
Choose the synonym for the word “compliant” in the following sentence: The team was remarkably compliant, following the coach''s orders without question.
B — Submissive. “compliant” means adj. obedient conforming submissive. Study “compliant” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “savvy”?
B — Wise. “savvy” means adj. knowledgeable; shrewd; practical. Study “savvy” →
The deafening ______ of the huge crowd made it impossible to hear him speak.
B — din. “din” means n. loud noise; clamor; racket. Study “din” →
The hero's daring escape happens in the ______ chapter, just before the ending.
B — penultimate. “penultimate” means adj. second-to-last next-to-last. Study “penultimate” →
Her calm patience proved a great ______ during the tense negotiations.
C — asset. “asset” means n. a useful or valuable thing, person, or quality.. Study “asset” →
The general ordered a ______ strike before the enemy could gather its forces.
B — preemptive. “preemptive” means adj. preventive; anticipatory; first. Study “preemptive” →
The students' complete ______ deeply frustrated their enthusiastic teacher.
C — apathy. “apathy” means n. indifference lack of interest. Study “apathy” →
The shaken witnesses described the ______ crime scene in horrified whispers.
C — ghastly. “ghastly” means adj. shockingly frightful or dreadful. Study “ghastly” →
Caught in the act, he tried to ______ a clumsy story to explain himself.
C — fabricate. “fabricate” means v. manufacture; invent; make up. Study “fabricate” →
Feverish and weak, the ______ patient barely lifted his head off the pillow.
A — listless. “listless” means Adj. lacking energy; lethargic; apathetic. Study “listless” →
Her ______ personality filled the whole room with laughter and warmth.
B — ebullient. “ebullient” means adj. enthusiastic exuberant cheerful. Study “ebullient” →
The captain moved quickly to ______ the dangerous rumor before it spread.
C — squelch. “squelch” means V. to suppress; crush; silence. Study “squelch” →
The teacher briefly summarized the most ______ points of the long lecture.
D — salient. “salient” means adj. Prominent and notable; conspicuous. Study “salient” →
He inherited both his height and his temper from his ______ grandfather.
D — paternal. “paternal” means adj. related to the father or fatherhood. Study “paternal” →
After the revolution, the colony finally became a fully ______ nation.
D — autonomous. “autonomous” means adj. independent self-governing free. Study “autonomous” →
Her calm, steady advice proved absolutely ______ during the crisis.
A — invaluable. “invaluable” means adj. priceless; extremely valuable; essential. Study “invaluable” →
In literature, the __________ often serves as a conclusion or commentary at the end of a story.
A — epilogue. “epilogue” means n. conclusion; final section; afterword. Study “epilogue” →
She has always had a strong ______ toward music and the visual arts.
D — inclination. “inclination” means n. a tendency or preference to think, act, or behave in a particular way. Study “inclination” →
The exciting tale of the pirate's buried gold turned out to be ______.
A — apocryphal. “apocryphal” means adj. of questionable authenticity or authorship. Study “apocryphal” →
The ambitious deputy schemed for years to ______ the aging king.
B — supplant. “supplant” means v. replace; displace; oust. Study “supplant” →
The ______ weather shifted from sunshine to rain and back again all day.
C — fickle. “fickle” means adj. changeable; inconstant; unpredictable. Study “fickle” →
The climbers peered nervously into the dark, bottomless ______.
A — abyss. “abyss” means n. chasm void pit. Study “abyss” →
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.