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.
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “rouse”: After an hour of waiting, Maria finally managed to rouse her brother from his deep sleep.
B — wake. “rouse” means v. awaken; stir up; stimulate. Study “rouse” →
Which word is a synonym of “depreciate”?
B — diminish. “depreciate” means v. to decrease in value over time. Study “depreciate” →
Select the synonym for the word “inapt” as used in the sentence: The remark was entirely inapt given the seriousness of the occasion.
A — Unfitting. “inapt” means adj. inappropriate; unsuitable; inept. Study “inapt” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “lackadaisical” as it is used in the sentence: The teacher was concerned about the student''s lackadaisical attitude towards completing homework assignments.
B — Indifferent. “lackadaisical” means adj. lazy careless indifferent. Study “lackadaisical” →
In the sentence “After the storm, the village was left largely unscathed,” what does “unscathed” most nearly mean?
B — unharmed. “unscathed” means adj. not harmed or injured. Study “unscathed” →
Which of the following words is a synonym for “voluble”?
B — Talkative. “voluble” means adj. Fluent and talkative; eloquent. Study “voluble” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “prestige”:
D — renown. “prestige” means n. high status or respect based on qualities or achievements. Study “prestige” →
In his free time, John showed a proclivity for activities that involved creativity and art. Which word is closest in meaning to “proclivity”?
C — tendency. “proclivity” means n. a tendency or inclination to do something regularly. Study “proclivity” →
What is a synonym for “assent”?
B — agree. “assent” means v. to agree or approve. Study “assent” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “fallible”:
B — Erroneous. “fallible” means adj. imperfect; prone to error; flawed. Study “fallible” →
In the story, the protagonist is described as a benevolent figure. What does “benevolent” most nearly mean?
B — Generous. “benevolent” means adj. characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings.. Study “benevolent” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “malicious”:
B — Hostile. “malicious” means adj. spiteful vindictive mean. Study “malicious” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “sequester” in the following sentence: During the pandemic, many vulnerable groups felt the need to sequester themselves for their own safety.
A — isolate. “sequester” means v. isolate separate confine. Study “sequester” →
In a gentle yet firm tone, the teacher chose to admonish the student for speaking out of turn during the lesson. Which word is a synonym for “admonish”?
D — scold. “admonish” means v. warn; scold; advise. Study “admonish” →
Which of the following is a synonym for dehydrate?
B — dry. “dehydrate” means v. to remove water from something or to lose water, especially bodily fluids. Study “dehydrate” →
Select the word that is closest in meaning to “tousled”.
C — Disheveled. “tousled” means adj. disheveled; messy; rumpled. Study “tousled” →
Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to “remiss”:
B — negligent. “remiss” means adj. lacking care or attention to duty; negligent. Study “remiss” →
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to “rectitude”: The senator was praised for her rectitude, as she always acted with integrity and fairness.
A — honesty. “rectitude” means n. Honesty and integrity; uprightness. Study “rectitude” →
Choose the best synonym for the word “affront” in the following sentence: The president considered the journalist''s questions an affront to his integrity.
B — insult. “affront” means n. insult offense affront. Study “affront” →
Which word is a synonym for deceive?
B — mislead. “deceive” means v. to mislead or trick someone into believing something that is not true. Study “deceive” →
Truly great art can ______ the barriers of language and culture.
D — transcend. “transcend” means v. to rise above or go beyond the limits of. Study “transcend” →
The jeweler will ______ a single ruby deep in the very center of the ring.
B — embed. “embed” means V. to insert; implant; fix firmly. Study “embed” →
She shared her most ______ thoughts only with her very closest friend.
D — intimate. “intimate” means adj. Close and personal; private. Study “intimate” →
A careless typist may accidentally ______ two letters within a single word.
A — transpose. “transpose” means v. rearrange; switch; relocate. Study “transpose” →
His grand plan to heat the whole house with candles was hopelessly ______.
D — impractical. “impractical” means adj. unrealistic; unfeasible; useless. Study “impractical” →
Known for his ______ habits, the monk ate only the simplest food.
D — abstemious. “abstemious” means adj. moderate restrained temperate. Study “abstemious” →
The friends gathered to ______ with her over the loss of her beloved pet.
D — commiserate. “commiserate” means v. to express or feel sympathy or pity. Study “commiserate” →
Announcing victory before the votes were counted proved sadly ______.
A — premature. “premature” means adj. early; untimely; hasty. Study “premature” →
Volunteering to help the poor is a truly ______ and noble goal.
B — laudable. “laudable” means adj. Praiseworthy and commendable; admirable. Study “laudable” →
The manager offered a free meal to ______ the deeply unhappy diners.
C — placate. “placate” means v. to appease; calm; pacify. Study “placate” →
The ______ salesman happily struck up conversations with total strangers.
B — extroverted. “extroverted” means adj. outgoing; sociable; gregarious. Study “extroverted” →
The manager emphasized the ___ nature of the business deal, urging everyone to act swiftly.
A — exigent. “exigent” means adj. requiring immediate attention or action; urgent. Study “exigent” →
There is no need to ______ the point; we all understood it long ago.
B — belabor. “belabor” means v. to argue or discuss in excessive detail; to attack verbally. Study “belabor” →
The council voted to ______ the mayor for carelessly wasting public money.
D — censure. “censure” means v. condemn; criticize; blame. Study “censure” →
Inside the old light bulb, a glowing ______ produced a warm yellow light.
A — filament. “filament” means n. thin thread; fiber; wire. Study “filament” →
The ______ mountain road twisted through dozens of sharp, blind curves.
A — tortuous. “tortuous” means adj. winding; complex; twisted. Study “tortuous” →
The divorce became so ______ that the couple stopped speaking entirely.
C — acrimonious. “acrimonious” means adj. bitter; harsh; caustic. Study “acrimonious” →
His ______ attitude toward homework worried both his parents and teachers.
B — lackadaisical. “lackadaisical” means adj. lazy careless indifferent. Study “lackadaisical” →
The ______ rain fell in short bursts, stopping and starting all day long.
C — intermittent. “intermittent” means adj. Sporadic and irregular; periodic. Study “intermittent” →
Spreading vicious ______ about a rival is both deeply cruel and against the law.
C — slander. “slander” means n. the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person''s reputation.. Study “slander” →
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.