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 “placid”:
C — Calm. “placid” means adj. calm; peaceful; serene. Study “placid” →
Select the synonym for the word “surreal” in the following sentence: The artist''s latest installation was praised for being both innovative and surreal, captivating audiences with its dreamlike quality.
B — bizarre. “surreal” means Adj. dreamlike; bizarre; fantastical. Study “surreal” →
In the sentence “The situation became perilous as the storm approached,” what is the best synonym for “perilous”?
D — dangerous. “perilous” means adj. full of danger or risk. Study “perilous” →
Which of the following is the best synonym for “contentious”?
B — Controversial. “contentious” means adj. controversial; argumentative; disputed. Study “contentious” →
Select the best synonym for the word “replenish”:
A — refill. “replenish” means v. to fill something up again. Study “replenish” →
Select the word that is the closest in meaning to “cursory”.
B — hasty. “cursory” means adj. done quickly and without thoroughness. Study “cursory” →
What is the best synonym for the word “voluminous” as used in the following sentence? The library contained voluminous records, detailing the history of the town for over a century.
B — Massive. “voluminous” means adj. Extensive and massive; bulky. Study “voluminous” →
In the story, the witch uttered a malediction against the knight, hoping to bring him bad luck. What is the best synonym for “malediction”?
B — curse. “malediction” means n. curse; condemnation; hex. Study “malediction” →
What is a synonym for the word “complacent”?
C — self-satisfied. “complacent” means adj. showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one''s achievements. Study “complacent” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “resolved”.
B — determined. “resolved” means adj. determined decided firm. Study “resolved” →
Which word is a synonym for “abrupt”?
B — sudden. “abrupt” means adj. sudden and unexpected. Study “abrupt” →
Choose the word that is the best synonym for “intrinsic”: The scientist was fascinated by the _______ properties of the mineral, which were not affected by external forces.
B — inherent. “intrinsic” means adj. inherent; essential; built-in. Study “intrinsic” →
Select the synonym for the word “prototype” as used in the context: “The company developed a prototype of their new device to test its functionality.”
A — sample. “prototype” means n. Model and original; template. Study “prototype” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “episodic”?
B — Fragmentary. “episodic” means adj. occurring in episodes; sporadic. Study “episodic” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “antidote”?
B — remedy. “antidote” means n. a remedy to counteract a poison or disease. Study “antidote” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “antecedent”?
B — Predecessor. “antecedent” means n. predecessor; precedent; prior event. Study “antecedent” →
Which of the following words is the closest synonym to “implement”?
B — execute. “implement” means v. carry out; execute; tool. Study “implement” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “valiant” in the sentence: “The firefighters were praised for their valiant efforts in rescuing the trapped family.”
B — brave. “valiant” means adj. brave; courageous; heroic. Study “valiant” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “tyrant”?
B — dictator. “tyrant” means n. a cruel and oppressive ruler. Study “tyrant” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “omniscient”?
B — all-knowing. “omniscient” means adj. knowing everything. Study “omniscient” →
The stranded sailors were in terrible ______ as the raging storm grew worse.
D — peril. “peril” means n. serious and immediate danger. Study “peril” →
The ______ official loved to remind everyone of his own great importance.
D — pompous. “pompous” means adj. arrogant showy pretentious. Study “pompous” →
The ______ judge gave the frightened young offender a second chance.
D — merciful. “merciful” means adj. showing compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one''s power to punish or harm. Study “merciful” →
The benefits of daily exercise are ______, affecting both body and mind.
D — manifold. “manifold” means adj. numerous; various; multiple. Study “manifold” →
It is a basic ______ of geometry that all right angles are equal.
B — axiom. “axiom” means n. principle truth rule. Study “axiom” →
Once bitten by a stray dog, the child grew ______ of every animal she met.
B — chary. “chary” means adj. cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something. Study “chary” →
The difference in price was so ______ that no one even bothered to notice.
B — negligible. “negligible” means adj. insignificant; trivial; minimal. Study “negligible” →
The ______ mule refused to move no matter how hard the farmers pulled.
B — intractable. “intractable” means adj. Stubborn and unmanageable; obstinate. Study “intractable” →
He quietly questioned the old ______ that his teachers accepted without doubt.
A — dogma. “dogma” means n. a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. Study “dogma” →
The hot-air balloon began to slowly ______ into the clear morning sky.
D — ascend. “ascend” means v. to climb or go up. Study “ascend” →
Her sharp business ______ helped the tiny shop grow into a huge company.
D — acumen. “acumen” means n. sharpness; insight; acuteness. Study “acumen” →
He offered ______ apologies, saying he was sorry again and again.
D — profuse. “profuse” means adj. abundant plentiful excessive. Study “profuse” →
The tired hikers slowly began to ______ from the snowy mountain peak.
A — descend. “descend” means v. to move or fall downward.. Study “descend” →
The class was a ______ group of students from many different backgrounds.
D — heterogeneous. “heterogeneous” means adj. diverse; mixed; varied. Study “heterogeneous” →
She was ______ that she would never sell her grandmother's old house.
B — adamant. “adamant” means adj. firm; unyielding; stubborn. Study “adamant” →
The court may ______ his driving license after so many serious violations.
D — revoke. “revoke” means v. to officially cancel or take back something (such as a law, license, or agreement). Study “revoke” →
Through ______ daily practice, the young violinist mastered the difficult piece.
D — assiduous. “assiduous” means adj. diligent; persistent; hardworking. Study “assiduous” →
The clear photograph was ______ proof that he had been at the scene.
B — incontrovertible. “incontrovertible” means adj. undeniable certain absolute. Study “incontrovertible” →
She sat quietly by the still lake to ______ her difficult future.
C — contemplate. “contemplate” means v. to think about something deeply for a long time. Study “contemplate” →
In the school play, the actor''s ability to convey emotions through ___________ without speaking was impressive.
B — pantomime. “pantomime” means N. silent performance; mime; theatrical show. Study “pantomime” →
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.