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.
Which of the following is a synonym for “engulf” as used in context? The floodwaters began to engulf the small town, leaving many residents stranded.
A — surround. “engulf” means v. swallow surround overwhelm. Study “engulf” →
What is a synonym for “constrict”?
B — compress. “constrict” means v. to make narrower or tighter. Study “constrict” →
Select the best synonym for the word “economical” in the following sentence: “Using public transportation instead of owning a car is a more economical choice for city dwellers.”
B — frugal. “economical” means adj. Thrifty and cost-effective; efficient. Study “economical” →
Choose the synonym for “immaterial” in the following sentence: His concerns about the company''s future were dismissed as immaterial by the board members.
A — insignificant. “immaterial” means adj. irrelevant unimportant spiritual. Study “immaterial” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “foregone”?
A — Decided. “foregone” means adj. predetermined inevitable certain. Study “foregone” →
Which word is the best synonym for “poise” as used in the following sentence? Despite the pressure of the situation, she maintained her poise.
A — grace. “poise” means n. composure balance grace. Study “poise” →
Select the synonym for the word “incise”.
B — Slice. “incise” means v. to cut; carve; engrave. Study “incise” →
Which of the following words is the best synonym for “stimulate”?
A — Encourage. “stimulate” means v. to excite; encourage; arouse. Study “stimulate” →
Choose the word that is a synonym for “holistic”: The treatment was described as holistic, taking into account not just the physical symptoms but also the emotional and mental well-being of the patient.
B — Integral. “holistic” means adj. comprehensive; complete; integrated. Study “holistic” →
Which word is a synonym for paradox?
A — Puzzle. “paradox” means n. contradiction; puzzle; anomaly. Study “paradox” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “quell”?
C — suppress. “quell” means v. to suppress; subdue; calm. Study “quell” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “approbation”: After the presentation, the speaker looked to the audience for approbation.
A — Approval. “approbation” means n. Approval and endorsement; sanction. Study “approbation” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “cynical”:
B — Skeptical. “cynical” means adj. skeptical; distrustful; pessimistic. Study “cynical” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “purist”?
B — Traditionalist. “purist” means n. perfectionist; traditionalist; stickler. Study “purist” →
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “empirical”?
B — observational. “empirical” means adj. based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. Study “empirical” →
In the following sentence, choose the word that is closest in meaning to “self-effacing”: Despite his many achievements, Marcus remained self-effacing, never seeking the spotlight for his contributions.
C — modest. “self-effacing” means adj. modest humble unassuming. Study “self-effacing” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “orator”?
B — Speaker. “orator” means n. Speaker and rhetorician; eloquent person. Study “orator” →
What is the closest synonym to the word “invaluable”?
B — Precious. “invaluable” means adj. priceless; extremely valuable; essential. Study “invaluable” →
Which of the following is a synonym for “intangible”?
C — ethereal. “intangible” means adj. unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence.. Study “intangible” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “sterling” as used in the sentence: Her sterling qualities made her a respected leader in the community.
C — excellent. “sterling” means adj. excellent; outstanding; pure. Study “sterling” →
A little ______ helped ease the tension in the crowded waiting room.
A — levity. “levity” means n. lightness; frivolity; humor. Study “levity” →
A single splash of bright color can ______ even the dullest gray room.
B — vivify. “vivify” means v. enliven animate energize. Study “vivify” →
The dusty ______ displayed in the museum was over two thousand years old.
C — relic. “relic” means n. artifact; remnant; keepsake. Study “relic” →
His long, empty speech was ______, full of words but empty of any real idea.
D — vacuous. “vacuous” means adj. empty; meaningless; blank. Study “vacuous” →
There is a sharp ______ between what he says and what he actually does.
C — dichotomy. “dichotomy” means n. a division or contrast between two things that are represented as being opposed or entirely different. Study “dichotomy” →
The strange disappearance continued to ______ even the cleverest detectives.
C — baffle. “baffle” means v. to confuse or perplex someone. Study “baffle” →
Even in the middle of the crisis, she somehow kept her perfect ______.
D — equanimity. “equanimity” means n. calmness; composure; serenity. Study “equanimity” →
In the novel, the antagonist was portrayed as iniquitous for always engaging in schemes that were both _______ and unfair.
B — evil. “iniquitous” means Adj. wicked; unjust; immoral. Study “iniquitous” →
The young activists spoke about their cause with tremendous ______.
B — fervor. “fervor” means n. intense and passionate feeling. Study “fervor” →
As a bold ______, the young architect rejected every traditional rule of design.
C — iconoclast. “iconoclast” means n. rebel; nonconformist; tradition-breaker. Study “iconoclast” →
In the sentence The professor was well respected and ____ in many fields, which word best fits the blank?
A — lettered. “lettered” means adj. educated; scholarly; learned. Study “lettered” →
New digital maps have now largely ______ the old paper ones entirely.
A — supersede. “supersede” means v. replace; take over; displace. Study “supersede” →
They accidentally wandered into a ______ part of town full of broken windows.
A — seedy. “seedy” means adj. shabby run-down disreputable. Study “seedy” →
Cheating a blind old man out of his life savings is truly ______.
B — reprehensible. “reprehensible” means Adj. blameworthy; condemnable; shameful. Study “reprehensible” →
There was a ______ agreement between them, understood without a single word.
C — tacit. “tacit” means adj. implied; unspoken; understood. Study “tacit” →
The movie's plot was tired and ______, with no fresh ideas at all.
C — hackneyed. “hackneyed” means adj. overused stale trite. Study “hackneyed” →
The furious coach began to ______ the whole team for their careless play.
C — upbraid. “upbraid” means v. scold; criticize; rebuke. Study “upbraid” →
The ______ traveler felt completely at ease in the great cities of the world.
D — sophisticated. “sophisticated” means adj. having a refined knowledge of the world, also complex or intricate.. Study “sophisticated” →
The ______ servant bowed very low and obeyed every single command.
C — submissive. “submissive” means adj. obedient compliant docile. Study “submissive” →
Mosquitoes bred quickly in the still, ______ water of the old forgotten pond.
D — stagnant. “stagnant” means adj. motionless; inactive; static. Study “stagnant” →
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.