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 is the best synonym for the word “entrepreneur”?
C — Businessperson. “entrepreneur” means n. Business owner; innovator. Study “entrepreneur” →
Choose the word that is the best synonym for “precedent” in the following sentence: The lawyer referred to an earlier case as a precedent in court.
A — model. “precedent” means n. an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.. Study “precedent” →
Choose the word that best matches the following: coincide.
B — match. “coincide” means v. to occur at the same time or to agree exactly. Study “coincide” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “pilgrimage”?
A — Journey. “pilgrimage” means n. religious journey; sacred trip. Study “pilgrimage” →
Choose the closest synonym for the word “plebian”:
B — common. “plebian” means adj. common ordinary working-class. Study “plebian” →
Select the synonym for the word “aplomb”: Despite the challenging circumstances, Amanda performed with extraordinary aplomb.
B — composure. “aplomb” means n. confidence composure poise. Study “aplomb” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “celestial”?
B — heavenly. “celestial” means adj. relating to the sky or outer space. Study “celestial” →
Which word is a synonym for “nominate”?
B — appoint. “nominate” means v. to formally propose or appoint someone for a position or award. Study “nominate” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “psyche”.
A — mind. “psyche” means n. mind; soul; spirit. Study “psyche” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “infer”:
B — Conclude. “infer” means v. deduce; conclude; imply. Study “infer” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “appalling”:
A — Terrifying. “appalling” means adj. shocking terrible horrifying. Study “appalling” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “perpetuate”?
C — preserve. “perpetuate” means v. to make something continue indefinitely. Study “perpetuate” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “forswear”: The politician vowed to forswear his previous practices of accepting donations from lobbyists.
A — renounce. “forswear” means v. renounce abandon give up. Study “forswear” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “opulent” as used in the sentence: “The opulent mansion was filled with priceless artwork and luxurious furnishings”?
C — Lavish. “opulent” means adj. Wealthy and luxurious; lavish. Study “opulent” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “pessimistic”.
C — despondent. “pessimistic” means adj. tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen. Study “pessimistic” →
Choose the synonym for the word “impish” as used in the following sentence: The child gave his friend an impish grin after successfully hiding the toy behind his back.
A — playful. “impish” means adj. mischievous; playful; naughty. Study “impish” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “adverse”:
D — detrimental. “adverse” means adj. unfavorable or harmful. Study “adverse” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “subsidy”: The government offered a subsidy to support the struggling farmers.
B — grant. “subsidy” means n. Financial aid; grant. Study “subsidy” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “mercurial”: Though unpredictable and sometimes erratic, her mercurial nature made her a thrilling companion.
B — capricious. “mercurial” means adj. changeable; volatile; unpredictable. Study “mercurial” →
In a booming economy, businesses are less likely to:
C — stagnate. “stagnate” means v. to stop developing, growing, progressing, or advancing. Study “stagnate” →
The ______ walled garden was the perfect place to sit and quietly read.
C — tranquil. “tranquil” means adj. peaceful; calm; serene. Study “tranquil” →
His whole argument was ______, resting entirely on one false assumption.
D — fallacious. “fallacious” means adj. based on a mistaken belief. Study “fallacious” →
With courage and teamwork, no obstacle seemed truly ______ to them.
B — insuperable. “insuperable” means adj. impossible to overcome. Study “insuperable” →
The ______ child flatly refused to eat his vegetables no matter what.
B — obstinate. “obstinate” means adj. stubborn persistent inflexible. Study “obstinate” →
Her ______ sobbing over one tiny scratch struck everyone as absurd.
C — histrionic. “histrionic” means adj. overly dramatic or emotional. Study “histrionic” →
The snobbish critic dismissed the wildly popular show as hopelessly ______.
A — plebian. “plebian” means adj. common ordinary working-class. Study “plebian” →
The ______ thriller kept the entire audience on the edge of their seats.
D — riveting. “riveting” means adj. Fascinating and gripping; compelling. Study “riveting” →
Too little sleep can be seriously ______ to both your health and your mood.
D — detrimental. “detrimental” means adj. Harmful and damaging; adverse. Study “detrimental” →
The company flatly refused to ______ the secret details of its new invention.
D — disclose. “disclose” means v. to reveal or make known. Study “disclose” →
For the careful surgeon, the patient's safety was always of ______ importance.
A — paramount. “paramount” means adj. supreme; most important; primary. Study “paramount” →
No one should be able to ______ you into signing something against your will.
B — coerce. “coerce” means v. force compel pressure. Study “coerce” →
His ______ jokes seemed silly and childish to the older, wiser guests.
A — sophomoric. “sophomoric” means adj. immature and overconfident; conceited. Study “sophomoric” →
In the modern world, many devices are designed to be ____ so that they can be easily transported.
B — mobile. “mobile” means adj. able to move or be moved freely or easily. Study “mobile” →
The early morning jog around the park helped to ______ her spirits for the day.
A — invigorate. “invigorate” means v. to give strength or energy to. Study “invigorate” →
The clinic takes a ______ approach, treating the whole person, not just the illness.
D — holistic. “holistic” means adj. comprehensive; complete; integrated. Study “holistic” →
After much pressure, the weary king finally chose to ______ to their demands.
B — accede. “accede” means v. agree consent comply. Study “accede” →
The ______ jeweler checked every tiny detail of the delicate gold ring.
B — meticulous. “meticulous” means adj. careful; precise; thorough. Study “meticulous” →
The old witch muttered a terrible ______ upon the greedy young king.
B — malediction. “malediction” means n. curse; condemnation; hex. Study “malediction” →
His ______ speech was full of grand words but very little real meaning.
D — bombastic. “bombastic” means Adj. pompous; inflated; grandiose. Study “bombastic” →
A sharp ______ from the coach quickly reminded the players to focus.
C — reproof. “reproof” means n. rebuke; criticism; scolding. Study “reproof” →
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.