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.
In a gesture of goodwill, the diplomat decided to proffer his assistance in the peace negotiations.
A — offer. “proffer” means v. to offer; present; extend. Study “proffer” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “sentient”:
D — conscious. “sentient” means adj. able to perceive or feel things. Study “sentient” →
Which of the following is a synonym for the word “folly”?
C — foolishness. “folly” means n. lack of good sense or judgment; foolishness.. Study “folly” →
Select the synonym for the word: Deviate. During the hike, we had to deviate from the marked trail due to fallen trees.
A — Depart. “deviate” means v. To diverge; stray. Study “deviate” →
Which word is a synonym for equilibrium?
B — stability. “equilibrium” means n. a state of balance between opposing forces or actions. Study “equilibrium” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “fabricate”: The journalist was criticized for attempting to fabricate a story without verifying the facts.
A — Invent. “fabricate” means v. manufacture; invent; make up. Study “fabricate” →
The advent of spring brings warmer weather and blooming flowers. What does the word “advent” mean in this sentence?
B — arrival. “advent” means n. the arrival or beginning of something significant. Study “advent” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to “autonomous”.
A — Independent. “autonomous” means adj. independent self-governing free. Study “autonomous” →
Choose the synonym for the word “bombastic” in the sentence: The politician''s bombastic speech was filled with lofty promises and little substance.
B — Pompous. “bombastic” means Adj. pompous; inflated; grandiose. Study “bombastic” →
Which of the following is the best synonym for sophisticated in the sentence: “The artist”s work is known for its sophisticated style''?
B — Refined. “sophisticated” means adj. having a refined knowledge of the world, also complex or intricate.. Study “sophisticated” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “defer”:
A — Postpone. “defer” means v. postpone; delay; yield to. Study “defer” →
Which of the following is the best synonym for the word “recuperate” as used in the sentence: “After the marathon, she needed to recuperate for a few days”?
A — Recover. “recuperate” means v. recover; regain strength; heal. Study “recuperate” →
Which word is a synonym for “mutual”?
B — shared. “mutual” means adj. experienced or done by each of two or more parties toward the other or others. Study “mutual” →
Select the word that is most similar in meaning to “cultured”:
A — Sophisticated. “cultured” means adj. Refined and educated; sophisticated. Study “cultured” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “aspiration”.
A — Ambition. “aspiration” means n. ambition; goal; hope. Study “aspiration” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “itinerant”.
A — Wandering. “itinerant” means Adj. traveling; nomadic; wandering. Study “itinerant” →
What is the correct synonym for the following sentence? The chemical released during the accident was so lethal that it caused immediate evacuation.
B — fatal. “lethal” means adj. capable of causing death; extremely harmful. Study “lethal” →
Choose the synonym for the word “intuitive”:
B — instinctive. “intuitive” means adj. instinctive; natural; innate. Study “intuitive” →
Which word is a synonym for “insight”? A well-honed sense of observation often leads to greater _______.
B — insight. “insight” means n. the ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way. Study “insight” →
Select the synonym for “propensity” as used in the sentence: “Due to her propensity for art, she spent most of her free time at the gallery.”
C — tendency. “propensity” means n. tendency inclination habit. Study “propensity” →
A good nurse treats every patient with genuine warmth and ______.
D — empathy. “empathy” means n. the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Study “empathy” →
She built her long career on a ______ reputation for honesty and skill.
C — sterling. “sterling” means adj. excellent; outstanding; pure. Study “sterling” →
The ______ old man quietly paid for the schooling of many poor children.
A — benevolent. “benevolent” means adj. characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings.. Study “benevolent” →
At the king's ______, the loyal soldiers marched off to a distant war.
A — behest. “behest” means n. Command and order; directive. Study “behest” →
Her remarkable ______ for numbers made her a brilliant young accountant.
B — aptitude. “aptitude” means n. a natural ability to do something or to learn something. Study “aptitude” →
The ______ rumor was spread deliberately to ruin her good reputation.
C — malicious. “malicious” means adj. spiteful vindictive mean. Study “malicious” →
His careless ______ left him with no savings at all for the future.
A — improvidence. “improvidence” means n. wastefulness; lack of foresight; carelessness. Study “improvidence” →
The dictator's cruelty was ______ to everyone who valued human rights.
D — abhorrent. “abhorrent” means adj. detestable; repugnant; loathsome. Study “abhorrent” →
The board voted to ______ the unpopular rule they had only just passed.
A — rescind. “rescind” means v. cancel revoke withdraw. Study “rescind” →
His loud ______ hid the simple fact that he was actually terrified.
A — bravado. “bravado” means n. false courage; swagger; bluster. Study “bravado” →
Playing the piano well requires great speed and finger ______.
B — dexterity. “dexterity” means n. Skill and agility; adroitness. Study “dexterity” →
The city planned to ______ the crumbling old stadium and build a green park.
A — raze. “raze” means v. To demolish; destroy. Study “raze” →
Doctors worked for many decades to ______ the deadly disease completely.
C — eradicate. “eradicate” means v. eliminate; destroy; wipe out. Study “eradicate” →
The new medicine proved highly ______ against the stubborn infection.
C — efficacious. “efficacious” means adj. effective; successful; potent. Study “efficacious” →
Unable to decide, she continued to ______ between the two good job offers.
C — vacillate. “vacillate” means v. waver; hesitate; fluctuate. Study “vacillate” →
Being ______, she repaired her old shoes rather than buying expensive new ones.
B — frugal. “frugal” means adj. Economical and thrifty; sparing. Study “frugal” →
After the ______ morning workout, every muscle in her body ached.
A — strenuous. “strenuous” means adj. difficult demanding arduous. Study “strenuous” →
Sailing fast across the open sea was a wildly ______ experience.
B — exhilarating. “exhilarating” means adj. incredibly exciting or thrilling. Study “exhilarating” →
In the modern city, advertising seems utterly ______, covering every wall.
D — omnipresent. “omnipresent” means adj. everywhere present universal. Study “omnipresent” →
His ______ obedience to every command made him seem to have no will of his own.
D — slavish. “slavish” means adj. Servile and obsequious; fawning. Study “slavish” →
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.