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 a synonym of “admirable”.
A — commendable. “admirable” means adj. deserving of respect or approval. Study “admirable” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “wretched”?
B — miserable. “wretched” means adj. extremely bad or unpleasant. Study “wretched” →
In the story, the main character“s actions were described as altruistic. Which word is a synonym for ”altruistic''?
A — Generous. “altruistic” means adj. Selfless and charitable; unselfish. Study “altruistic” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “propagate”:
B — disseminate. “propagate” means v. To reproduce; spread. Study “propagate” →
Which word is the closest in meaning to “commiserate”?
A — sympathize. “commiserate” means v. to express or feel sympathy or pity. Study “commiserate” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “noxious”: The chemicals released in the air were noxious, causing many people to feel ill.
D — Toxic. “noxious” means adj. harmful; toxic; poisonous. Study “noxious” →
What is a synonym for “synthetic”?
C — fabricated. “synthetic” means adj. made or put together by people; artificial. Study “synthetic” →
Choose a synonym for the word “cagey” as used in the following sentence: The detective was known for his cagey approach during investigations.
C — cautious. “cagey” means adj. cautious wary secretive. Study “cagey” →
Which word is a synonym for “default”?
C — fail. “default” means n. a failure to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan.. Study “default” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “visceral”?
B — instinctive. “visceral” means adj. relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect. Study “visceral” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “liable”?
A — responsible. “liable” means adj. likely to be affected or held responsible. Study “liable” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “logos”?
B — Reason. “logos” means n. logic; reason; brand symbol. Study “logos” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “berate”?
C — rebuke. “berate” means v. scold harshly; criticize severely. Study “berate” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “conundrum”?
B — Dilemma. “conundrum” means N. puzzle; riddle; dilemma. Study “conundrum” →
Which word is a synonym of “arduous”? The climb up the mountain was very arduous.
C — strenuous. “arduous” means adj. involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.. Study “arduous” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “irrefutable” as used in the sentence: The scientist presented irrefutable evidence to support the new theory.
C — undeniable. “irrefutable” means adj. undeniable; conclusive; certain. Study “irrefutable” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “impervious”: Despite the heavy rains, the new coat remained impervious.
A — resistant. “impervious” means adj. unaffected; resistant; immune. Study “impervious” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “justify”:
B — approve. “justify” means v. to show or prove to be right or reasonable. Study “justify” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “infamy”:
B — disgrace. “infamy” means n. the state of being well known for a bad quality or deed. Study “infamy” →
The word “hapless” most nearly means:
C — unlucky. “hapless” means adj. unlucky, unfortunate. Study “hapless” →
Critics were quick to ______ the young director's brilliant first film.
A — laud. “laud” means v. to praise highly. Study “laud” →
As the deep cold sets in, bears retreat to their dens to ______ for months.
A — hibernate. “hibernate” means v. to spend the winter in a dormant state. Study “hibernate” →
His ______ diamond watch was clearly meant to impress everyone around him.
B — ostentatious. “ostentatious” means adj. showy; flashy; pretentious. Study “ostentatious” →
The creative chef likes to ______ fresh local herbs into all of her dishes.
C — incorporate. “incorporate” means v. to include or absorb as part of a whole. Study “incorporate” →
The greedy dragon had a huge, ______ appetite for glittering gold.
C — insatiable. “insatiable” means adj. impossible to satisfy. Study “insatiable” →
There was a quiet, ______ understanding between them that never had to be said aloud.
C — implicit. “implicit” means adj. implied; understood; unspoken. Study “implicit” →
Hard work and honesty lay at the very heart of the company's ______.
D — ethos. “ethos” means n. spirit; character; guiding beliefs. Study “ethos” →
In the low light of the early morning, the mist around the hills appeared to be quite ________.
B — opaque. “opaque” means adj. not transparent or translucent; hard to understand or explain. Study “opaque” →
It is cruel to ______ an honest person with completely false accusations.
D — malign. “malign” means v. slander defame harm. Study “malign” →
The ______ old factory stood empty, its windows broken and boarded up.
C — derelict. “derelict” means adj. abandoned neglected rundown. Study “derelict” →
After a long, heated debate, the group finally reached a clear ______.
B — consensus. “consensus” means n. general agreement among a group of people. Study “consensus” →
The promise of a shiny prize helped ______ the students to study harder.
B — spur. “spur” means v. stimulate; encourage; motivate. Study “spur” →
The king’s crown was _____ with precious jewels, making it glitter in the sunlight.
A — adorned. “adorn” means v. to decorate or add beauty to. Study “adorn” →
In order to save the tree, the gardener had to ______ the diseased branches.
A — excise. “excise” means v. to remove by cutting. Study “excise” →
Winning the Nobel Prize was the highest ______ of her long career.
A — accolade. “accolade” means n. Honor and praise; recognition. Study “accolade” →
Her birthday happens to ______ with the biggest festival of the entire year.
D — coincide. “coincide” means v. to occur at the same time or to agree exactly. Study “coincide” →
The stern judge chose to ______ the dangerous criminal for twenty long years.
C — incarcerate. “incarcerate” means v. to imprison; confine; jail. Study “incarcerate” →
The rotten smell rising from the old drain was absolutely ______.
A — repulsive. “repulsive” means adj. disgusting; revolting; offensive. Study “repulsive” →
The banned book was full of ______ ideas that boldly challenged the rulers.
C — subversive. “subversive” means adj. seeking to undermine or overthrow an established system or institution. Study “subversive” →
The heavy rain forced the town to ______ the outdoor festival early.
C — curtail. “curtail” means v. to reduce or limit something. Study “curtail” →
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.