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 words is closest in meaning to “constrain”?
B — restrict. “constrain” means v. to force or limit someone or something to certain actions or conditions.. Study “constrain” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “reputable”?
A — Honorable. “reputable” means adj. respectable; trustworthy; reliable. Study “reputable” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “amenable”.
B — Compliant. “amenable” means adj. agreeable cooperative suitable. Study “amenable” →
Select the best synonym for the word “partisan”:
C — advocate. “partisan” means n. supporter follower advocate. Study “partisan” →
Which of the following is a synonym of “demure”?
A — modest. “demure” means adj. reserved, modest, and shy. Study “demure” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “haphazard”?
B — Random. “haphazard” means adj. random careless disorganized. Study “haphazard” →
In the meeting, Tom''s presumptuous attitude often rubbed his colleagues the wrong way.
B — arrogant. “presumptuous” means Adj. arrogant; overconfident; bold. Study “presumptuous” →
Choose the synonym for the word “brevity” in the following sentence: The speaker was praised for the brevity of his presentation, which was both informative and concise.
C — conciseness. “brevity” means n. conciseness; shortness; terseness. Study “brevity” →
The ride on the amusement park''s new roller coaster was so exhilarating that it left everyone feeling:
C — thrilled. “exhilarating” means adj. incredibly exciting or thrilling. Study “exhilarating” →
Choose the synonym for the word “rarefy” as used in this sentence: “To create a more breathable atmosphere, the engineers needed to rarefy the air within the dome.”
A — dilute. “rarefy” means v. thin dilute purify. Study “rarefy” →
Choose the synonym for the word “aesthetic” from the options below.
A — Beautiful. “aesthetic” means adj. artistic; beautiful; tasteful. Study “aesthetic” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “sanction”:
B — approval. “sanction” means n. penalty; approval; authorize. Study “sanction” →
What is the best synonym for “accompany” in the following sentence: The guide will accompany you on your tour of the museum.
A — attend. “accompany” means v. to go with someone as a companion or escort. Study “accompany” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “wan”:
C — pale. “wan” means adj. pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion. Study “wan” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “omnipresent”:
B — Ubiquitous. “omnipresent” means adj. everywhere present universal. Study “omnipresent” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “sate”?
A — Satisfy. “sate” means V. to satisfy; fulfill; gratify. Study “sate” →
In the context of describing someone who loves indulging in hearty meals and seldom exercises, the word “corpulent” most likely means:
C — obese. “corpulent” means adj. fat; obese; stout. Study “corpulent” →
Choose the synonym for the word “requital”:
B — Compensation. “requital” means n. repayment; recompense; revenge. Study “requital” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “elusive”?
B — evasive. “elusive” means adj. hard to grasp or capture. Study “elusive” →
Which word is a synonym for “integrity”?
B — Honesty. “integrity” means n. honesty uprightness wholeness. Study “integrity” →
After losing the final match, the ______ players trudged silently home.
D — crestfallen. “crestfallen” means adj. dejected disappointed downcast. Study “crestfallen” →
It is deeply unfair to ______ a rival just to make yourself look better.
B — denigrate. “denigrate” means v. to belittle; disparage; defame. Study “denigrate” →
Please speak very clearly so that no one will ______ your good intentions.
B — misconstrue. “misconstrue” means v. to misinterpret; misunderstand; distort. Study “misconstrue” →
A ______ mind eagerly welcomes new ideas instead of instantly rejecting them.
A — receptive. “receptive” means adj. willing to consider or accept new ideas or suggestions. Study “receptive” →
Her calm smile seemed to ______ the deep fear she truly felt inside.
C — belie. “belie” means v. To contradict; misrepresent. Study “belie” →
The sudden cold snap in July was a strange ______ from the usual summer heat.
C — aberration. “aberration” means N. deviation; abnormality; anomaly. Study “aberration” →
The rebellious young artist despised the dull, ______ tastes of his neighbors.
C — bourgeois. “bourgeois” means adj. middle-class; conventional; materialistic. Study “bourgeois” →
After the exciting trip, her ______ daily chores felt especially dull.
C — mundane. “mundane” means adj. ordinary everyday routine. Study “mundane” →
In order to fully understand the contract, one must ____ the document carefully.
B — peruse. “peruse” means v. read carefully; examine; study. Study “peruse” →
In order to __________ the new technology quickly and efficiently, the company launched an extensive marketing campaign.
B — propagate. “propagate” means v. To reproduce; spread. Study “propagate” →
Thick fatty deposits can slowly ______ the flow of blood in an artery.
D — occlude. “occlude” means v. to block or stop up something. Study “occlude” →
Her ______ spirit carried her through every hardship she ever faced.
A — indomitable. “indomitable” means adj. unconquerable; unyielding; determined. Study “indomitable” →
The two nations reached a surprisingly ______ agreement without any fighting.
D — amicable. “amicable” means adj. friendly; peaceful; cordial. Study “amicable” →
The city placed a temporary ______ on all new building near the river.
D — moratorium. “moratorium” means n. suspension halt pause. Study “moratorium” →
The senator spoke with such ______ that the whole crowded hall fell silent.
A — eloquence. “eloquence” means n. fluency; articulateness; oratory. Study “eloquence” →
The strange locked door began to ______ the endlessly curious children.
D — intrigue. “intrigue” means v. fascinate; plot; scheme. Study “intrigue” →
In order to create the report, the researcher had to ______ all the data from various sources.
B — collate. “collate” means v. organize arrange compile. Study “collate” →
The two sides asked a neutral ______ to settle their long, bitter argument.
C — arbiter. “arbiter” means n. a person who has the power to decide a dispute; a judge. Study “arbiter” →
His ______ joke about the tragic accident deeply upset the grieving family.
C — flippant. “flippant” means adj. disrespectful casual thoughtless. Study “flippant” →
In the context of urban development, it is important to consider the __________ of residential areas to essential services such as hospitals and schools.
C — proximity. “proximity” means n. nearness; closeness; vicinity. Study “proximity” →
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.