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 best synonym for the word “transitory”:
C — fleeting. “transitory” means adj. temporary; fleeting; brief. Study “transitory” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “discreet”.
B — cautious. “discreet” means adj. careful; tactful; prudent. Study “discreet” →
The poet received an accolade from the literary community for her outstanding contributions. Which of the following is a synonym for accolade?
C — Honor. “accolade” means n. Honor and praise; recognition. Study “accolade” →
Select the synonym for the word: Discrepancy
B — Difference. “discrepancy” means n. difference; inconsistency; gap. Study “discrepancy” →
Which of the following words is the closest in meaning to “cherish”?
C — prize. “cherish” means v. to hold dear or value highly. Study “cherish” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “affinity”.
A — Connection. “affinity” means n. attraction; kinship; similarity. Study “affinity” →
Choose the synonym for the word “combative”.
A — Aggressive. “combative” means adj. aggressive fighting argumentative. Study “combative” →
Select the synonym for the word “precocious”: Although only eight years old, Jenna''s musical talent was incredibly precocious, impressing even the most experienced artists.
C — Advanced. “precocious” means adj. advanced; mature; gifted. Study “precocious” →
Select the best synonym for the word “iniquitous”:
A — immoral. “iniquitous” means Adj. wicked; unjust; immoral. Study “iniquitous” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “tyro”:
D — novice. “tyro” means n. beginner novice amateur. Study “tyro” →
What is the synonym of “intransigence”?
B — Stubbornness. “intransigence” means n. stubbornness; refusal to compromise. Study “intransigence” →
Which of the following is a synonym for dynamic?
A — energetic. “dynamic” means adj. characterized by constant change, activity, or progress. Study “dynamic” →
Select the best synonym for the word “theoretical”:
A — hypothetical. “theoretical” means adj. Abstract and hypothetical; conceptual. Study “theoretical” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “impart”:
B — convey. “impart” means v. To convey; teach. Study “impart” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “shrewd”?
B — Astute. “shrewd” means adj. Clever and astute; cunning. Study “shrewd” →
Which word is the best synonym for “rejuvenate”?
B — revitalize. “rejuvenate” means v. to make someone or something look or feel younger, fresher, or more lively.. Study “rejuvenate” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “filament”:
A — fiber. “filament” means n. thin thread; fiber; wire. Study “filament” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to the word “therapeutic”.
A — Curative. “therapeutic” means adj. Healing and beneficial; curative. Study “therapeutic” →
Which of the following is a synonym of “constitute”?
B — form. “constitute” means v. to make up or form something. Study “constitute” →
Choose the word that is the closest synonym to “bourgeois”.
C — Middle-class. “bourgeois” means adj. middle-class; conventional; materialistic. Study “bourgeois” →
The new law gave the agency a clear ______ to protect the old forests.
A — mandate. “mandate” means n. an official order or commission to do something.. Study “mandate” →
It was ______ of her to stay silent rather than start a pointless argument.
C — politic. “politic” means adj. seemingly sensible and judicious under the circumstances.. Study “politic” →
The tired parents handed the crying toddler a toy to ______ him.
D — appease. “appease” means v. pacify calm satisfy. Study “appease” →
His ______ directions left us hopelessly lost in the winding city streets.
A — vague. “vague” means adj. unclear; indefinite; hazy. Study “vague” →
The old friends love to ______ about their carefree childhood school days.
D — reminisce. “reminisce” means v. to think about past experiences fondly. Study “reminisce” →
The chef added chili and lime for a ______ flavor that tingled on the tongue.
B — piquant. “piquant” means adj. spicy; stimulating; provocative. Study “piquant” →
The prisoners lived in ______ conditions, cold, hungry, and always afraid.
D — wretched. “wretched” means adj. extremely bad or unpleasant. Study “wretched” →
The two strong personalities were simply ______ and argued constantly.
B — incompatible. “incompatible” means adj. not able to exist or work with another person or thing because of basic differences. Study “incompatible” →
With a few ______ movements, the chef sliced the vegetables in mere seconds.
B — deft. “deft” means adj. skillful and quick in one''s movements. Study “deft” →
She answered every tough question with remarkable calm and ______.
A — poise. “poise” means n. composure balance grace. Study “poise” →
The band's early practice was full of ______ until they finally learned the song.
C — dissonance. “dissonance” means N. discord; lack of harmony; inconsistency. Study “dissonance” →
As the ______ of the will, she carried out all of her uncle's final wishes.
B — executor. “executor” means n. administrator manager implementer. Study “executor” →
Neat handwriting was just one ______ the judges used to score the essays.
A — criterion. “criterion” means n. a standard or principle by which something is judged or decided.. Study “criterion” →
His ______ attitude toward basic safety worried the entire crew.
B — cavalier. “cavalier” means adj. careless; arrogant; dismissive. Study “cavalier” →
In a ______ gesture, the winner warmly praised his defeated opponent.
D — magnanimous. “magnanimous” means adj. generous noble forgiving. Study “magnanimous” →
The kind volunteer's impact on the poor children was simply ______.
B — immeasurable. “immeasurable” means adj. impossible to measure or calculate. Study “immeasurable” →
Without any regular exercise, unused muscles will slowly ______.
D — atrophy. “atrophy” means n. wasting away; decline; deterioration. Study “atrophy” →
The committee members all nodded to ______ to the chairman's proposal.
D — assent. “assent” means v. to agree or approve. Study “assent” →
The new AI is designed to be ____, able to interact naturally with humans.
A — sentient. “sentient” means adj. able to perceive or feel things. Study “sentient” →
His ______ moods shifted from cheerful to furious in a single moment.
A — mercurial. “mercurial” means adj. changeable; volatile; unpredictable. Study “mercurial” →
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.