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 “mince”.
A — Chop. “mince” means V. to chop finely; walk affectedly; speak carefully. Study “mince” →
Which word is a synonym for “ascendancy”?
A — influence. “ascendancy” means n. a position of dominance or controlling influence.. Study “ascendancy” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “cunning”?
A — deceptive. “cunning” means adj. having or showing skill in achieving one''s ends by deceit or evasion. Study “cunning” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “exodus”:
D — migration. “exodus” means n. mass departure migration. Study “exodus” →
Choose the synonym for the word progeny in the following sentence: The scientist was eager to study the progeny of the experimental mice to determine any inherited traits.
B — offspring. “progeny” means n. offspring children descendants. Study “progeny” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “disconcerting” as used in the sentence: “The sudden silence in the room was quite disconcerting, leaving many to wonder what would happen next.”
B — alarming. “disconcerting” means adj. disturbing; unsettling; troubling. Study “disconcerting” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “contemplate”?
B — consider. “contemplate” means v. to think about something deeply for a long time. Study “contemplate” →
Which word is a synonym for “obstruct”?
B — block. “obstruct” means v. to block or get in the way of something. Study “obstruct” →
Choose the synonym for the word “prohibit” as used in this sentence: The school decided to prohibit the use of cell phones during classes.
B — forbid. “prohibit” means v. forbid ban prevent. Study “prohibit” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “tranquil”?
A — Calm. “tranquil” means adj. peaceful; calm; serene. Study “tranquil” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “incontrovertible”:
B — Unquestionable. “incontrovertible” means adj. undeniable certain absolute. Study “incontrovertible” →
In the context of the text, the word “earnest” most nearly means:
A — sincere. “earnest” means adj. showing sincere and intense conviction. Study “earnest” →
In the context of behavior, the word “subservient” most nearly means:
B — Compliant. “subservient” means adj. submissive servile subordinate. Study “subservient” →
Choose the synonym for the word: Despite numerous interventions, the student''s behavior was deemed incorrigible.
A — unfixable. “incorrigible” means adj. hopeless incurable unchangeable. Study “incorrigible” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “swagger” as used in this sentence? “He entered the room with a noticeable swagger, turning heads as he walked.”
A — bravado. “swagger” means v. to strut; boast; show off. Study “swagger” →
Select the synonym for the word “succulent” in the sentence: “The chef prepared a ______ steak that was the highlight of the meal.”
B — juicy. “succulent” means adj. juicy; fleshy; tender. Study “succulent” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “divergent”?
C — deviating. “divergent” means adj. differing from each other or from a standard. Study “divergent” →
Which word is a synonym of “intuition”?
B — instinct. “intuition” means n. the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.. Study “intuition” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “idolize”?
B — Worship. “idolize” means v. to worship; adore; revere. Study “idolize” →
In the meeting, the manager shared a truism that communication is key to success. What is a synonym for “truism”?
B — platitude. “truism” means n. obvious truth; platitude; cliché. Study “truism” →
The early settlers had to ______ with harsh winters and very poor soil.
B — contend. “contend” means v. to struggle or strive against difficulties or opposition. Study “contend” →
Fleeing the war, the family sought ______ in a peaceful neighboring country.
B — asylum. “asylum” means N. refuge; sanctuary; protection. Study “asylum” →
The ______ workers moved from farm to farm as each harvest ended.
B — transient. “transient” means adj. temporary; brief; passing. Study “transient” →
In the busy market, the clamor of voices made it difficult to ______.
A — hear. “clamor” means N. loud noise; outcry; demand noisily. Study “clamor” →
With a ______ plan, the fox tricked the farmer and stole all the hens.
D — cunning. “cunning” means adj. having or showing skill in achieving one''s ends by deceit or evasion. Study “cunning” →
The committee somehow united people from wildly ______ backgrounds.
A — disparate. “disparate” means Adj. fundamentally different; unrelated; distinct. Study “disparate” →
A serious lack of sunlight can badly ______ a young plant's healthy growth.
D — inhibit. “inhibit” means v. to hold back or prevent an action. Study “inhibit” →
The wronged villagers loudly demanded ______ for the crimes against them.
C — retribution. “retribution” means n. punishment revenge justice. Study “retribution” →
The clever scam relied on a ______ argument that sounded true but wasn't.
C — specious. “specious” means adj. misleading; false; deceptive. Study “specious” →
The politician's rivals spread cruel ______ to ruin his good reputation.
A — calumny. “calumny” means n. Slander and defamation; libel. Study “calumny” →
A ______ investor knows exactly when to buy and precisely when to sell.
C — savvy. “savvy” means adj. knowledgeable; shrewd; practical. Study “savvy” →
In planning for the event, they followed an ______ to ensure everything went smoothly.
A — agenda. “agenda” means n. a list of items to be discussed or acted upon. Study “agenda” →
The ______ palace was filled with gold, marble, and shimmering fine silk.
D — opulent. “opulent” means adj. Wealthy and luxurious; lavish. Study “opulent” →
In certain countries, military service is __________ for all young men.
B — compulsory. “compulsory” means adj. Mandatory and required; obligatory. Study “compulsory” →
Trust is a ______ part of any lasting and healthy friendship.
C — fundamental. “fundamental” means adj. basic; essential; primary. Study “fundamental” →
In a ______ era, handwritten letters took weeks to cross the vast ocean.
B — bygone. “bygone” means adj. past former previous. Study “bygone” →
The strange sea creature was a soft, ______ blob with no clear shape.
A — amorphous. “amorphous” means adj. shapeless; formless; vague. Study “amorphous” →
The two country roads run together for a mile before they suddenly ______.
A — diverge. “diverge” means v. to move or extend in different directions from a common point, to differ in opinion, plot, or character. Study “diverge” →
The volcano had lain ______ for many centuries before it suddenly erupted.
C — dormant. “dormant” means adj. not active or growing but having the ability to become active. Study “dormant” →
So ______ and open, she never once suspected that anyone might lie to her.
B — ingenuous. “ingenuous” means adj. naive; innocent; candid. Study “ingenuous” →
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.