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 best synonym for the word “patron”:
B — sponsor. “patron” means n. a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity. Study “patron” →
Which word is the closest in meaning to “exemplary”?
B — commendable. “exemplary” means adj. outstandingly good; serving as a desirable model or example.. Study “exemplary” →
Select the best synonym for the word “fallacious”:
B — misleading. “fallacious” means adj. based on a mistaken belief. Study “fallacious” →
In the orchestra, the musician demonstrated her ability to play a wide gamut of musical styles, showing her versatility as an artist.
A — range. “gamut” means n. full range; complete scope; spectrum. Study “gamut” →
Which word is a synonym for “descend”?
B — fall. “descend” means v. to move or fall downward.. Study “descend” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “saturate”:
C — Drench. “saturate” means v. to soak; fill completely; drench. Study “saturate” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “tumultuous” as used in the sentence: The tumultuous crowd was impossible to control, with everyone shouting over each other.
C — disordered. “tumultuous” means adj. chaotic turbulent noisy. Study “tumultuous” →
In an effort to maintain discipline, the coach did not hesitate to castigate the players for their poor performance. Which word is a synonym for “castigate”?
C — criticize. “castigate” means v. criticize severely; punish; rebuke. Study “castigate” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “Hardy” as it is used in the context of: “The hardy explorers traveled through the harsh wilderness without complaint.”
C — Robust. “hardy” means adj. strong tough resilient. Study “hardy” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “prolific” as used in the sentence?
A — productive. “prolific” means adj. producing in large quantities or with great frequency. Study “prolific” →
Which word is a synonym for disparity?
C — imbalance. “disparity” means n. a noticeable and often unfair difference between people or things. Study “disparity” →
Which word is a synonym for the term “prime” as used in this sentence: “The book explores how he was in his prime during the late 1980s.”?
B — peak. “prime” means adj. of first importance; main; best possible quality. Study “prime” →
Select the best synonym for the word “brittle”:
C — fragile. “brittle” means adj. hard but liable to break or shatter easily. Study “brittle” →
Which word is the best synonym for “penultimate”?
B — Next-to-last. “penultimate” means adj. second-to-last next-to-last. Study “penultimate” →
Which of the following words is most similar in meaning to “disputatious”?
B — argumentative. “disputatious” means adj. fond of or causing heated arguments. Study “disputatious” →
Select the best synonym for the word “vouch”:
C — certify. “vouch” means v. To guarantee; attest. Study “vouch” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “politic”?
A — Prudent. “politic” means adj. seemingly sensible and judicious under the circumstances.. Study “politic” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “mendacious” as used in the sentence: “The witness”s mendacious testimony caused significant delays in the trial.''
B — deceptive. “mendacious” means adj. lying; dishonest; false. Study “mendacious” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “savant”?
C — Scholar. “savant” means n. scholar; learned person; expert. Study “savant” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “consummate”:
B — accomplished. “consummate” means adj. perfect; complete; accomplish. Study “consummate” →
Warm wax becomes soft and ______, easy to shape into almost any form.
C — pliable. “pliable” means adj. flexible bendable adaptable. Study “pliable” →
The soft violin ______ set a calm mood before the grand symphony began.
D — prelude. “prelude” means n. an introductory or preliminary performance or event. Study “prelude” →
The angry, bitter speech was clearly meant to ______ the crowd to riot.
C — incite. “incite” means v. provoke stir up encourage. Study “incite” →
His stubborn ______ blocked every attempt to reach a fair, lasting deal.
C — intransigence. “intransigence” means n. stubbornness; refusal to compromise. Study “intransigence” →
Daily stretching keeps a dancer's body ______ and ready to move.
C — limber. “limber” means adj. flexible; agile; supple. Study “limber” →
Astronomers spent the whole night studying distant ______ bodies like stars.
C — celestial. “celestial” means adj. relating to the sky or outer space. Study “celestial” →
He had the sheer ______ to insult the host at her own dinner party.
D — effrontery. “effrontery” means n. audacity; impudence; nerve. Study “effrontery” →
Who wouldn't want to be happy is a classic ______ question.
B — rhetorical. “rhetorical” means adj. Persuasive and questioning; oratorical. Study “rhetorical” →
Her powerful performance ran the entire ______ of emotions, from joy to despair.
A — gamut. “gamut” means n. full range; complete scope; spectrum. Study “gamut” →
The ______ young woman blushed and lowered her eyes when she was praised.
A — demure. “demure” means adj. reserved, modest, and shy. Study “demure” →
The ______ traveler missed his train, lost his bag, and got soaked in the rain.
B — hapless. “hapless” means adj. unlucky, unfortunate. Study “hapless” →
With rich soil and plenty of steady rain, the young crops began to ______.
C — thrive. “thrive” means v. flourish; prosper; succeed. Study “thrive” →
The ______ tenant had not paid his rent for three whole months.
B — delinquent. “delinquent” means adj. negligent; overdue; criminal. Study “delinquent” →
The ancient castle was a confusing ______ of twisting halls and staircases.
A — labyrinth. “labyrinth” means n. maze complex network. Study “labyrinth” →
Several famous athletes agreed to ______ the popular new brand of shoe.
C — endorse. “endorse” means v. to publicly or officially support or approve of something or someone.. Study “endorse” →
With only ______ supplies left, the explorers carefully rationed every bite.
D — scant. “scant” means adj. insufficient; meager; limited. Study “scant” →
She made a ______ plea for the crowd to help the flood victims.
A — fervent. “fervent” means adj. passionate; intense; ardent. Study “fervent” →
He spent many years trying to ______ for the terrible mistake of his youth.
C — atone. “atone” means v. to make amends; compensate; repent. Study “atone” →
He soon became a loud ______ for the deeply unpopular new policy.
B — apologist. “apologist” means n. defender advocate supporter. Study “apologist” →
The ______ witness told one lie after another while on the stand.
B — mendacious. “mendacious” means adj. lying; dishonest; false. Study “mendacious” →
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.