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 “terse”: The teacher''s feedback was very terse, providing only the essential points without any additional comments.
C — concise. “terse” means adj. Brief and concise; laconic. Study “terse” →
Choose the synonym for the word “Frank”: The manager appreciated his employee''s frank feedback during the meeting.
A — Blunt. “frank” means adj. Honest and direct; candid. Study “frank” →
What is a synonym for the word “supplant” as used in the following sentence? Despite the popularity of new gadgets, traditional crafts and skills have not been entirely supplanted in the community.
A — replaced. “supplant” means v. replace; displace; oust. Study “supplant” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “allusion”:
B — hint. “allusion” means n. Indirect reference; hint. Study “allusion” →
Choose the synonym for the word “pathetic” as used in context: The movie was so poorly made that it was simply pathetic.
A — pitiful. “pathetic” means adj. pitiful sad miserable. Study “pathetic” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “preface”?
A — introduction. “preface” means n. an introduction to a book, typically stating its subject, scope, or aims. Study “preface” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “apologist”?
B — Defender. “apologist” means n. defender advocate supporter. Study “apologist” →
Which word is the best synonym for “wrest”?
A — grab. “wrest” means v. seize; extract; twist. Study “wrest” →
In the aftermath of the hurricane, the small village was completely razed. What is the synonym of “raze”?
B — demolish. “raze” means v. To demolish; destroy. Study “raze” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “divert”.
A — Distract. “divert” means v. to redirect; distract; entertain. Study “divert” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to incisive: The lawyer''s _____ arguments helped to sway the jury in favor of his client.
C — incisive. “incisive” means adj. sharp; penetrating; keen. Study “incisive” →
Select the synonym that best matches the following word: debris.
B — rubble. “debris” means n. scattered fragments, typically of something wrecked or destroyed. Study “debris” →
What is a synonym for discerning?
A — perceptive. “discerning” means adj. having or showing good judgment or understanding. Study “discerning” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “fervor”?
B — zeal. “fervor” means n. intense and passionate feeling. Study “fervor” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “explicate”. Despite its complexity, the scientist was able to explicate the theory to the young students with remarkable clarity.
B — explain. “explicate” means v. explain clarify interpret. Study “explicate” →
Which of the following words is the best synonym for “fraught” as used in the sentence: “The negotiations were fraught with tension and uncertainty”?
B — filled. “fraught” means adj. Filled with; dangerous. Study “fraught” →
Choose the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to the word “purify”.
B — Cleanse. “purify” means v. cleanse; purge; refine. Study “purify” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “impending”: The dark clouds suggested an impending storm.
C — imminent. “impending” means adj. approaching; imminent; forthcoming. Study “impending” →
Select the synonym for the word “solvent” as used in the context: “The company was solvent, meaning it could meet all its financial obligations.”
C — Financially stable. “solvent” means adj. financially stable; dissolving agent. Study “solvent” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “emulate” as it is used in the sentence below: “To improve his painting skills, Marco decided to emulate the techniques of the great masters.”
B — Imitate. “emulate” means v. imitate copy follow. Study “emulate” →
The well-known phrase deafening silence is a famous ______.
D — oxymoron. “oxymoron” means n. contradiction; paradox; incongruity. Study “oxymoron” →
The old map was drawn to carefully ______ the exact border between the lands.
A — delineate. “delineate” means v. to describe or portray something precisely. Study “delineate” →
In the ancient myth, the ______ god could shape the entire world at will.
C — omnipotent. “omnipotent” means adj. all-powerful supreme unlimited. Study “omnipotent” →
The university will ______ an honorary degree upon the retiring professor.
B — confer. “confer” means v. grant; bestow; discuss. Study “confer” →
The recipe asks you to ______ the garlic into very tiny pieces.
D — mince. “mince” means V. to chop finely; walk affectedly; speak carefully. Study “mince” →
The ______ surgeon was known and respected all over the world.
C — eminent. “eminent” means adj. distinguished; prominent; notable. Study “eminent” →
To save space, editors often ______ long titles into just a few letters.
B — abbreviate. “abbreviate” means v. to shorten (a word, phrase, or text).. Study “abbreviate” →
Trust is a precious, ______ thing that you cannot hold in your hands.
C — intangible. “intangible” means adj. unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence.. Study “intangible” →
She sat by the rainy window in a ______ mood, lost deep in her own thoughts.
A — pensive. “pensive” means adj. thoughtful reflective melancholy. Study “pensive” →
In the meeting, everyone''s ideas began to ______ around a common theme.
C — converge. “converge” means v. to come together or meet at a point. Study “converge” →
His ______ remarks were clearly meant to stir up anger in the crowd.
A — inflammatory. “inflammatory” means adj. provocative; inciting; irritating. Study “inflammatory” →
The invention of the engine gave a powerful ______ to modern industry.
D — impetus. “impetus” means n. a driving force or motivation behind an action.. Study “impetus” →
A strong ______ of trust slowly grew between the two lifelong friends.
A — bond. “bond” means n. a connection, link, or binding force.. Study “bond” →
The company promised to ______ the billing error immediately and fully.
D — rectify. “rectify” means v. to set right; correct. Study “rectify” →
The loud ______ pushed to the front and insulted everyone in the line.
B — boor. “boor” means N. rude person; peasant; lout. Study “boor” →
From the muddy boots left by the door, we could ______ that it had rained.
C — infer. “infer” means v. deduce; conclude; imply. Study “infer” →
As the resources were used up with no replenishment in sight, the supply began to ______.
B — dwindle. “dwindle” means v. to become gradually smaller or diminish. Study “dwindle” →
The critic was famous for his ______ reviews that could ruin a play overnight.
A — acerbic. “acerbic” means adj. sharp bitter harsh. Study “acerbic” →
The two scientists held sharply ______ views about the cause of the disease.
B — divergent. “divergent” means adj. differing from each other or from a standard. Study “divergent” →
Her greatest ______ was to become a doctor and heal the sick.
C — aspiration. “aspiration” means n. ambition; goal; hope. Study “aspiration” →
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.