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 “clamor”:
C — uproar. “clamor” means N. loud noise; outcry; demand noisily. Study “clamor” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “affable”:
B — friendly. “affable” means adj. friendly and easy to talk to. Study “affable” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “nuance”:
D — subtlety. “nuance” means n. subtlety; shade; refinement. Study “nuance” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “abscond”?
A — Depart. “abscond” means v. to flee; escape; run away. Study “abscond” →
What is a synonym for “ascend”?
B — rise. “ascend” means v. to climb or go up. Study “ascend” →
What is a synonym for the word “reconciliation”?
B — Agreement. “reconciliation” means n. peace-making; harmony; settlement. Study “reconciliation” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “ecstatic”:
A — Joyful. “ecstatic” means adj. Joyful and elated; euphoric. Study “ecstatic” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to the word “ostentatious”.
C — Showy. “ostentatious” means adj. showy; flashy; pretentious. Study “ostentatious” →
Select the best synonym for the word “officious”:
A — intrusive. “officious” means adj. meddlesome interfering bossy. Study “officious” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “skeptic”: The scientist was known as a skeptic, always questioning the validity of new theories until she thoroughly examined the evidence.
B — Doubter. “skeptic” means n. Doubter and cynic; questioner. Study “skeptic” →
Select the best synonym for the word “ken”:
C — understanding. “ken” means n. one''s range of knowledge or understanding. Study “ken” →
Which word is the best synonym for perseverance?
B — Persistence. “perseverance” means n. persistence; determination; tenacity. Study “perseverance” →
Which of the following words is most similar in meaning to “vigorous”?
B — energetic. “vigorous” means adj. strong, active, and full of energy.. Study “vigorous” →
Choose the synonym for the word “indoctrinate”.
C — Instill. “indoctrinate” means v. teach beliefs; brainwash; instill. Study “indoctrinate” →
What is the synonym of the word “exclusive” as used in the following sentence? “The hotel offers exclusive services to its guests.”
A — limited. “exclusive” means adj. not shared or available to everyone; limited to a particular group or person. Study “exclusive” →
In the luxurious restaurant, Jane displayed her Epicurean taste, always choosing the most exquisite dishes. Which of the following is a synonym for “Epicurean”?
C — Hedonistic. “epicurean” means adj. pleasure-seeking; devoted to luxury. Study “epicurean” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “covert”:
B — clandestine. “covert” means adj. secret hidden concealed. Study “covert” →
The amount of time we have for this project is finite, so we must manage it carefully. The word “finite” is closest in meaning to:
C — bounded. “finite” means adj. having limits; not infinite. Study “finite” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “impudent”?
C — Rude. “impudent” means adj. rude; insolent; disrespectful. Study “impudent” →
Which word is a synonym of “complement”?
B — supplement. “complement” means n. something that completes or makes perfect. Study “complement” →
The ______ knight charged fearlessly forward to defend the frightened villagers.
B — valiant. “valiant” means adj. brave; courageous; heroic. Study “valiant” →
In his painting, the artist uses color with great ______ to capture the mood of the scene.
A — nuance. “nuance” means n. subtlety; shade; refinement. Study “nuance” →
The gallery proudly displays bold ______ art rather than old classical paintings.
D — contemporary. “contemporary” means adj. modern; current; peer. Study “contemporary” →
The dishonest treasurer tried to ______ with all of the company's money.
B — abscond. “abscond” means v. to flee; escape; run away. Study “abscond” →
The disappointed audience gave only ______ applause for the dull show.
C — tepid. “tepid” means adj. lukewarm mild unenthusiastic. Study “tepid” →
Her ______ criticism cut straight to the weakest part of the whole plan.
C — trenchant. “trenchant” means Adj. sharp; incisive; penetrating. Study “trenchant” →
Printing far too much money can quickly ______ its real value.
C — debase. “debase” means v. to lower in quality, value, or dignity; to degrade. Study “debase” →
With her ______ eyesight, the hawk easily spotted the mouse far below.
B — keen. “keen” means adj. having a sharp edge or point; intellectually sharp or perceptive. Study “keen” →
The document was written in a strangely ______ style of English no one uses today.
A — archaic. “archaic” means adj. Ancient and outdated; obsolete. Study “archaic” →
The ______ old machine was so bulky that four workers had to move it.
C — cumbersome. “cumbersome” means adj. large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use. Study “cumbersome” →
The ______ landlord cheated his poorest tenants without a shred of guilt.
B — unscrupulous. “unscrupulous” means adj. dishonest; unprincipled; corrupt. Study “unscrupulous” →
After the storm, the beach was littered with ______ from wrecked boats.
A — debris. “debris” means n. scattered fragments, typically of something wrecked or destroyed. Study “debris” →
The proud lioness watched over her playful ______ in the tall grass.
A — progeny. “progeny” means n. offspring children descendants. Study “progeny” →
Too ______ to raise her hand, she kept her clever answers to herself.
A — diffident. “diffident” means adj. shy; lacking confidence; timid. Study “diffident” →
Scientists rely on ______ evidence gathered through careful experiments.
A — empirical. “empirical” means adj. based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. Study “empirical” →
She waited patiently for the most ______ moment to ask her boss for a raise.
C — opportune. “opportune” means adj. suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence. Study “opportune” →
The wide survey covered a broad ______ of opinions from across the country.
D — spectrum. “spectrum” means n. range; variety; continuum. Study “spectrum” →
The cautious scientist remained ______ until the results were tested many times.
A — skeptical. “skeptical” means adj. having doubts or reservations. Study “skeptical” →
The wide river begins to ______ into a thin trickle near its high source.
B — taper. “taper” means v. narrow reduce diminish. Study “taper” →
From a very early age, the child showed a rare, ______ talent for music.
C — innate. “innate” means adj. inborn; natural; inherent. Study “innate” →
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.