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 closest in meaning to “gouge”:
A — Carve. “gouge” means v. to dig out; to overcharge. Study “gouge” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “pliable”?
B — Flexible. “pliable” means adj. flexible bendable adaptable. Study “pliable” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “converge”:
B — merge. “converge” means v. to come together or meet at a point. Study “converge” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “abyss”:
B — Chasm. “abyss” means n. chasm void pit. Study “abyss” →
Select the best synonym for the word “adversary”:
C — rival. “adversary” means N. opponent; enemy; rival. Study “adversary” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “unscrupulous”?
B — Deceitful. “unscrupulous” means adj. dishonest; unprincipled; corrupt. Study “unscrupulous” →
What is the best synonym for the word “sustenance” as used in the sentence: “During the long journey, the travelers relied on dried fruits and nuts as their primary source of sustenance”?
C — food. “sustenance” means n. nourishment; support; maintenance. Study “sustenance” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “Dexterity” as used in this sentence: The surgeon''s dexterity was evident as he performed the complex procedure.
B — Skillfulness. “dexterity” means n. Skill and agility; adroitness. Study “dexterity” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “billow”:
D — swirl. “billow” means v. surge; swell; roll. Study “billow” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “fickle” as used in the sentence: “Her fickle nature made it difficult for her friends to rely on her plans.”
C — Unpredictable. “fickle” means adj. changeable; inconstant; unpredictable. Study “fickle” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “sufficient”:
B — plentiful. “sufficient” means adj. enough to meet the needs of a situation. Study “sufficient” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “Compile”:
B — Assemble. “compile” means v. collect gather assemble. Study “compile” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “portend”?
A — Predict. “portend” means v. To foretell; predict. Study “portend” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “sprightly” in the following sentence: The old man was surprisingly sprightly, dancing energetically at his granddaughter''s wedding.
C — lively. “sprightly” means adj. lively; energetic; agile. Study “sprightly” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “loquacious”?
B — Talkative. “loquacious” means adj. talkative; chatty; verbose. Study “loquacious” →
Select the synonym for the word “virtuous”:
B — Noble. “virtuous” means adj. moral righteous good. Study “virtuous” →
Which of the following is most similar in meaning to “hypocrisy”?
C — duplicity. “hypocrisy” means n. the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one''s own behavior does not conform. Study “hypocrisy” →
Select the best synonym for the word “mobile”:
A — movable. “mobile” means adj. able to move or be moved freely or easily. Study “mobile” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “austere”?
C — Stern. “austere” means adj. severe simple plain. Study “austere” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “scrutinize”?
B — Examine. “scrutinize” means v. examine inspect analyze. Study “scrutinize” →
She was deeply ______ of her friend's beautiful new bicycle.
C — envious. “envious” means adj. feeling or showing envy. Study “envious” →
The band took a brief musical ______ between the two long acts.
B — interlude. “interlude” means n. a short period of time between events in which something different happens. Study “interlude” →
Hiring only his own cousins for the job was a clear case of ______.
C — nepotism. “nepotism” means n. favoritism; cronyism; bias. Study “nepotism” →
Nothing at all could ______ the enormous giant's endless, gnawing hunger.
D — sate. “sate” means V. to satisfy; fulfill; gratify. Study “sate” →
His answer was ______, wandering far away from the actual question.
A — tangential. “tangential” means adj. only slightly connected or related, not central or directly related. Study “tangential” →
The ______ host chattered on happily and never once let a silence fall.
A — voluble. “voluble” means adj. Fluent and talkative; eloquent. Study “voluble” →
The sudden ______ crash of the cymbals startled the sleepy audience.
B — jarring. “jarring” means adj. shocking; discordant; disturbing. Study “jarring” →
Adding yet more speeches would only ______ the already tedious ceremony.
A — prolong. “prolong” means v. to extend the duration of something. Study “prolong” →
Only a crumbling stone wall remained as the last ______ of the ancient city.
D — vestige. “vestige” means n. a trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists. Study “vestige” →
The philosopher spent ten years writing a long ______ on human nature.
B — treatise. “treatise” means N. formal written work; dissertation. Study “treatise” →
A menacing stranger tried to ______ her aggressively on the empty street.
C — accost. “accost” means v. To approach; confront. Study “accost” →
The knights fought bravely to free the ______ held high in the tower.
C — captive. “captive” means n. a person who has been taken prisoner or an animal that has been confined. Study “captive” →
The old fable had a clearly ______ purpose, teaching children to be kind.
D — didactic. “didactic” means adj. instructive; educational; preachy. Study “didactic” →
The invading army managed to _______ the town, leaving it in ruins.
B — decimate. “decimate” means v. to destroy a large part of something. Study “decimate” →
It was ______ of them to spend all of their money on the very first day.
B — imprudent. “imprudent” means adj. unwise; reckless; foolish. Study “imprudent” →
In literature, an allusion is often used to __________ a deeper meaning by referencing another work or historical event.
A — hint at. “allusion” means n. Indirect reference; hint. Study “allusion” →
It is unfair to ______ selfish motives to someone who is only trying to help.
D — impute. “impute” means v. to attribute or ascribe (something) to someone or something.. Study “impute” →
The ______ butler never once repeated a single word he happened to overhear.
C — discreet. “discreet” means adj. careful; tactful; prudent. Study “discreet” →
She handled the difficult, hostile questions with remarkable ______.
D — aplomb. “aplomb” means n. confidence composure poise. Study “aplomb” →
The Earth holds only a ______ supply of oil, which will one day run out.
C — finite. “finite” means adj. having limits; not infinite. Study “finite” →
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.