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.
Select the synonym for the word “innate”:
B — Inherent. “innate” means adj. inborn; natural; inherent. Study “innate” →
Choose the correct synonym for the word “versatile”: The new tool is incredibly _______ and can be used for various tasks.
C — adaptable. “versatile” means adj. able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.. Study “versatile” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “derivative”?
B — byproduct. “derivative” means n. a word derived from another or from a root in the same or another language.. Study “derivative” →
In a busy marketplace, the merchant might unexpectedly accost potential customers to entice them to look at his goods.
A — confront. “accost” means v. To approach; confront. Study “accost” →
Select the best synonym for the word “aimless”:
C — purposeless. “aimless” means adj. without purpose or direction.. Study “aimless” →
Select the best synonym for the word “impeccable”:
A — Flawless. “impeccable” means adj. Flawless and perfect; faultless. Study “impeccable” →
Which word is a synonym for “reclusive”?
B — isolated. “reclusive” means adj. preferring to live in isolation. Study “reclusive” →
What is a synonym for the word “frugal” in the following sentence? Despite his wealth, John chooses to live a frugal lifestyle.
C — thrifty. “frugal” means adj. Economical and thrifty; sparing. Study “frugal” →
Select the synonym for the word “equanimity”: Despite the chaos of the situation, she maintained a sense of equanimity.
B — composure. “equanimity” means n. calmness; composure; serenity. Study “equanimity” →
Select the synonym for the following word: Impermanent
B — Temporary. “impermanent” means adj. temporary; transient; fleeting. Study “impermanent” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “analogous”?
B — comparable. “analogous” means adj. comparable in certain respects, typically in a way that makes clearer the nature of the things compared.. Study “analogous” →
Which word is closest in meaning to “endorse”?
B — support. “endorse” means v. to publicly or officially support or approve of something or someone.. Study “endorse” →
In the context of social situations, someone who is maladroit might struggle to:
A — navigate conversations smoothly.. “maladroit” means adj. clumsy awkward inept. Study “maladroit” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to: Improvidence.
A — Carelessness. “improvidence” means n. wastefulness; lack of foresight; carelessness. Study “improvidence” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to “zeal”:
C — Eagerness. “zeal” means n. enthusiasm; passion; fervor. Study “zeal” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “salient”: The professor highlighted the most salient points of the lecture to ensure everyone understood the key concepts.
C — notable. “salient” means adj. Prominent and notable; conspicuous. Study “salient” →
Choose the synonym for the word “incite”:
A — Encourage. “incite” means v. provoke stir up encourage. Study “incite” →
Which word is a synonym for “visionary”?
A — Futuristic. “visionary” means n. prophet innovator dreamer. Study “visionary” →
Which of the following is the closest synonym to “interlude”?
B — interval. “interlude” means n. a short period of time between events in which something different happens. Study “interlude” →
Which word is a synonym of “impute”?
B — attribute. “impute” means v. to attribute or ascribe (something) to someone or something.. Study “impute” →
The ______ boy much preferred reading quietly to playing loud games.
B — introverted. “introverted” means adj. shy; reserved; withdrawn. Study “introverted” →
She had a deep ______ to spiders and refused to go anywhere near them.
A — aversion. “aversion” means n. a strong dislike or disinclination. Study “aversion” →
She felt a ______ fear that gripped her stomach before she could even think.
D — visceral. “visceral” means adj. relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect. Study “visceral” →
A good mentor works hard to ______ both knowledge and wisdom to her students.
A — impart. “impart” means v. To convey; teach. Study “impart” →
The powerful nations threatened to impose a harsh ______ on the aggressor.
A — sanction. “sanction” means n. penalty; approval; authorize. Study “sanction” →
The furious customer began to ______ the clerk over one tiny mistake.
B — berate. “berate” means v. scold harshly; criticize severely. Study “berate” →
The doctors raced to find a fast-acting ______ for the deadly snake venom.
B — antidote. “antidote” means n. a remedy to counteract a poison or disease. Study “antidote” →
The hero fought hard to ______ the heavy sword from the giant's mighty grip.
C — wrest. “wrest” means v. seize; extract; twist. Study “wrest” →
To her great ______, the very last train had already left the station.
B — dismay. “dismay” means n. a strong feeling of disappointment and distress. Study “dismay” →
Leaders from around the world rose to ______ the brutal attack.
D — denounce. “denounce” means v. to condemn; accuse; expose. Study “denounce” →
Their long friendship was built on ______ respect and shared interests.
A — mutual. “mutual” means adj. experienced or done by each of two or more parties toward the other or others. Study “mutual” →
With one ______ move, the chess master neatly trapped her opponent's king.
B — shrewd. “shrewd” means adj. Clever and astute; cunning. Study “shrewd” →
Without any water at all, the once-bright flowers began to ______ and droop.
B — wither. “wither” means v. shrivel; decay; fade. Study “wither” →
In his speech, the mayor acknowledged that the improvements to the park were __________ and would need further work next year.
B — transitory. “transitory” means adj. temporary; fleeting; brief. Study “transitory” →
The ______ waiter made every single customer feel instantly welcome.
C — amiable. “amiable” means adj. friendly; pleasant; agreeable. Study “amiable” →
The ______ scientist had won nearly every major prize in her field.
D — illustrious. “illustrious” means adj. well known, respected, and admired for past achievements. Study “illustrious” →
The professor used a simple diagram to ______ the difficult idea.
C — elucidate. “elucidate” means v. to make (something) clear or easy to understand. Study “elucidate” →
His loud joke was completely ______ for such a solemn and sad occasion.
B — inapt. “inapt” means adj. inappropriate; unsuitable; inept. Study “inapt” →
As the long evening wore on, the party's energy slowly began to ______.
A — ebb. “ebb” means v. recede decline fade. Study “ebb” →
After the accident, he chose to ______ fast cars and reckless driving forever.
C — forswear. “forswear” means v. renounce abandon give up. Study “forswear” →
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.