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 the word “quiescent”?
B — Dormant. “quiescent” means adj. inactive; dormant; still. Study “quiescent” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “inclination”?
B — tendency. “inclination” means n. a tendency or preference to think, act, or behave in a particular way. Study “inclination” →
Choose the word that most nearly means the same as “malign”:
C — slander. “malign” means v. slander defame harm. Study “malign” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “homogeneous”:
B — Uniform. “homogeneous” means adj. uniform; similar; consistent. Study “homogeneous” →
What is the closest synonym of “invert”?
A — reverse. “invert” means v. to turn something upside down or inside out. Study “invert” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “retract”?
B — withdraw. “retract” means v. to withdraw or take back. Study “retract” →
Which word is a synonym for “impetus”?
B — motivation. “impetus” means n. a driving force or motivation behind an action.. Study “impetus” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “scathe”?
C — harm. “scathe” means v. to harm or injure. Study “scathe” →
Select the word that is a synonym for “mannerism”:
A — habit. “mannerism” means n. Habit and quirk; affectation. Study “mannerism” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “abbreviate”?
C — shorten. “abbreviate” means v. to shorten (a word, phrase, or text).. Study “abbreviate” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “verbatim”?
A — precisely. “verbatim” means adv. word-for-word; exactly; literally. Study “verbatim” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “riveting” as it is used in the sentence: “The author”s latest novel is utterly riveting from start to finish''?
B — Captivating. “riveting” means adj. Fascinating and gripping; compelling. Study “riveting” →
In the quiet forest, a peaceful aura seemed to emanate from the still waters of the lake.
A — radiate. “emanate” means v. emerge; flow; originate. Study “emanate” →
In the face of such a monumental challenge, John''s contribution seemed quite paltry.
C — insignificant. “paltry” means adj. meager; insignificant; worthless. Study “paltry” →
Which of the following words is the best synonym for “enlighten”?
A — Illuminate. “enlighten” means v. educate inform illuminate. Study “enlighten” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “clemency”.
B — Mercy. “clemency” means n. mercy; leniency; forgiveness. Study “clemency” →
What is the best synonym for the word “circumlocution” as used in the sentence: “The politician was criticized for his circumlocution during the debate, as it seemed he was avoiding a direct answer.”?
C — verbosity. “circumlocution” means n. roundabout speech; wordiness; evasion. Study “circumlocution” →
Which word is the best synonym for “prosperous”?
A — Wealthy. “prosperous” means adj. Successful and thriving; flourishing. Study “prosperous” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “exhaustive”?
A — comprehensive. “exhaustive” means adj. complete and thorough. Study “exhaustive” →
Which word is a synonym for “segregate”?
B — isolate. “segregate” means v. to separate or set apart from others or from the main group. Study “segregate” →
Make sure you pack ______ food and water for the entire long trip.
B — sufficient. “sufficient” means adj. enough to meet the needs of a situation. Study “sufficient” →
Amazingly, the driver walked away completely ______ from the terrible wreck.
A — unscathed. “unscathed” means adj. not harmed or injured. Study “unscathed” →
In the midst of financial turmoil, the CEO described the company''s current _____ as deeply troubling.
B — plight. “plight” means n. a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.. Study “plight” →
A good long night's sleep can ______ both the tired body and the weary mind.
B — rejuvenate. “rejuvenate” means v. to make someone or something look or feel younger, fresher, or more lively.. Study “rejuvenate” →
His ______ corrections of every tiny error soon annoyed the whole class.
C — pedantic. “pedantic” means adj. scholarly academic nitpicking. Study “pedantic” →
The ______ doctor answered every question in just a word or two.
D — brusque. “brusque” means adj. abrupt blunt curt. Study “brusque” →
She felt a deep ______ toward anyone who was cruel to defenseless animals.
C — antipathy. “antipathy” means n. a strong feeling of dislike. Study “antipathy” →
Even the wisest experts are ______ and sometimes make serious mistakes.
A — fallible. “fallible” means adj. imperfect; prone to error; flawed. Study “fallible” →
The honest judge was widely admired for her moral ______ and unwavering fairness.
A — rectitude. “rectitude” means n. Honesty and integrity; uprightness. Study “rectitude” →
In the crowded, crumbling slum, poverty and disease were sadly ______.
C — rife. “rife” means adj. Widespread and prevalent; abundant. Study “rife” →
The ancient people offered rich gifts to ______ their powerful, angry gods.
D — propitiate. “propitiate” means v. appease placate conciliate. Study “propitiate” →
A cup of strong black coffee can ______ the mind and sharpen the senses.
D — stimulate. “stimulate” means v. to excite; encourage; arouse. Study “stimulate” →
The ______ old sailor answered every single question with just one word.
C — laconic. “laconic” means adj. using very few words. Study “laconic” →
The sharp-eyed accountant noticed a small ______ between the two sets of numbers.
D — discrepancy. “discrepancy” means n. difference; inconsistency; gap. Study “discrepancy” →
After years of bitter feuding, the two brothers finally reached a warm ______.
C — reconciliation. “reconciliation” means n. peace-making; harmony; settlement. Study “reconciliation” →
Rude audience members began to ______ the nervous comedian on stage.
B — heckle. “heckle” means v. To harass; badger. Study “heckle” →
The film was criticized for its ______ violence that added nothing to the story.
C — gratuitous. “gratuitous” means adj. unnecessary; unwarranted; free. Study “gratuitous” →
Without any fresh ideas, even a great company can begin to ______.
A — stagnate. “stagnate” means v. to stop developing, growing, progressing, or advancing. Study “stagnate” →
The human heart is ______ to a pump that pushes fluid through narrow pipes.
C — analogous. “analogous” means adj. comparable in certain respects, typically in a way that makes clearer the nature of the things compared.. Study “analogous” →
Climbing without any rope at all carries a serious, ______ danger.
C — inherent. “inherent” means adj. existing as a natural or permanent characteristic. Study “inherent” →
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.