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 a synonym for detrimental?
B — Harmful. “detrimental” means adj. Harmful and damaging; adverse. Study “detrimental” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “impassioned”: The speaker delivered an impassioned plea for environmental protection.
C — enthusiastic. “impassioned” means adj. Passionate and fervent; emotional. Study “impassioned” →
What is a synonym for “glutton”?
A — epicure. “glutton” means n. a person who eats and drinks excessively or voraciously. Study “glutton” →
Choose the word that means the same as “sobriety”:
B — seriousness. “sobriety” means n. seriousness; gravity; temperance. Study “sobriety” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “indistinct”: The writing on the old parchment was so faded that it was almost indistinct.
A — unclear. “indistinct” means adj. Unclear and vague; blurred. Study “indistinct” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “pragmatism”?
B — Realism. “pragmatism” means n. practical approach; realism. Study “pragmatism” →
Select the best synonym for the word “decimate”:
C — devastate. “decimate” means v. to destroy a large part of something. Study “decimate” →
Choose the closest synonym for the word “inflammatory” as used in the sentence: The article was highly inflammatory, inciting readers to protest.
B — provocative. “inflammatory” means adj. provocative; inciting; irritating. Study “inflammatory” →
Choose the synonym for the following word: Gregarious.
A — Sociable. “gregarious” means adj. sociable; outgoing; companionable. Study “gregarious” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “amplify”:
B — intensify. “amplify” means v. to make something louder, especially music or sound. Study “amplify” →
In the following sentence, choose the word that is the closest synonym to “obstinate”: Despite numerous attempts to persuade him, Mark remained obstinate in his decision to not attend the family reunion.
B — stubborn. “obstinate” means adj. stubborn persistent inflexible. Study “obstinate” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “receptive”?
A — Accepting. “receptive” means adj. willing to consider or accept new ideas or suggestions. Study “receptive” →
Choose the synonym for the word “asylum”:
A — refuge. “asylum” means N. refuge; sanctuary; protection. Study “asylum” →
Select the synonym for the word “acumen” as used in the sentence: Her acumen in financial matters has led the company to unprecedented success.
C — insight. “acumen” means n. sharpness; insight; acuteness. Study “acumen” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “perceptive”?
B — insightful. “perceptive” means adj. having or showing sensitive insight. Study “perceptive” →
The bane of city living is often considered to be the constant:
B — commotion. “bane” means n. a cause of great distress or annoyance. Study “bane” →
Which word is a synonym for “recalcitrant”?
C — Stubborn. “recalcitrant” means adj. stubborn; defiant; uncooperative. Study “recalcitrant” →
Which word is a synonym for “revoke”?
C — cancel. “revoke” means v. to officially cancel or take back something (such as a law, license, or agreement). Study “revoke” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “acquit”: After reviewing all the evidence, the jury decided to acquit the defendant.
A — Exonerate. “acquit” means v. declare innocent; perform well. Study “acquit” →
What is the synonym of the word “eradicate” as used in the following sentence? The campaign aimed to eradicate the problem of illiteracy in the rural areas.
A — Eliminate. “eradicate” means v. eliminate; destroy; wipe out. Study “eradicate” →
The court sharply questioned the ______ of the nervous witness's strange story.
A — veracity. “veracity” means n. truthfulness; accuracy. Study “veracity” →
Young fans everywhere began to ______ the talented new singer.
D — idolize. “idolize” means v. to worship; adore; revere. Study “idolize” →
The lost, shivering kitten made a truly ______ sight out in the cold rain.
A — pathetic. “pathetic” means adj. pitiful sad miserable. Study “pathetic” →
A deeply ______ silence fell over the crowd just before the disaster struck.
B — ominous. “ominous” means adj. threatening sinister foreboding. Study “ominous” →
Even small acts of kindness can ______ trust between total strangers.
A — engender. “engender” means v. cause create produce. Study “engender” →
The soldiers marched in perfectly ______ rows, all moving as a single body.
C — uniform. “uniform” means adj. Consistent and standard; identical. Study “uniform” →
The ______ knight always kept his sworn word and protected the weak.
C — virtuous. “virtuous” means adj. moral righteous good. Study “virtuous” →
The basic laws of physics are ______ and never bend for anyone.
D — immutable. “immutable” means adj. unchangeable permanent fixed. Study “immutable” →
The rescuers had only ______ success, saving some but not all of the crew.
B — partial. “partial” means adj. not complete or total. Study “partial” →
The ______ conversation bored her so deeply that she could barely stay awake.
C — vapid. “vapid” means adj. dull; boring; lifeless. Study “vapid” →
The long, brutal climb truly tested the young soldier's ______.
C — mettle. “mettle” means N. courage; spirit; determination. Study “mettle” →
A ______ teacher quickly notices when a quiet student is quietly struggling.
C — perceptive. “perceptive” means adj. having or showing sensitive insight. Study “perceptive” →
The ______ author wrote well over fifty novels during her long career.
D — prolific. “prolific” means adj. producing in large quantities or with great frequency. Study “prolific” →
Nothing could ever ______ such cruel and heartless treatment of prisoners.
A — justify. “justify” means v. to show or prove to be right or reasonable. Study “justify” →
The harsh review threatened to ______ the young author's fragile confidence.
C — eviscerate. “eviscerate” means v. to disembowel; gut; destroy. Study “eviscerate” →
His ______ knocking finally woke the whole sleeping household.
C — persistent. “persistent” means adj. continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.. Study “persistent” →
With a natural, ______ grasp of the game, she made her moves without thinking.
D — intuitive. “intuitive” means adj. instinctive; natural; innate. Study “intuitive” →
She will always ______ the happy memories of her childhood summers.
C — cherish. “cherish” means v. to hold dear or value highly. Study “cherish” →
The ______ of the internet completely changed how people communicate.
B — advent. “advent” means n. the arrival or beginning of something significant. Study “advent” →
The huge city is home to a ______ mix of cultures, languages, and foods.
C — diverse. “diverse” means adj. showing a great deal of variety; very different.. Study “diverse” →
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.