ISEE Lower Level Verbal : ISEE Lower Level (grades 5-6) Verbal Reasoning

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Lower Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #135 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Even though the steak was delicious __________

Possible Answers:

and I felt great afterwards 

so I took home the leftovers 

I could not eat anymore 

so I kept eating it 

I love all types of meat 

Correct answer:

I could not eat anymore 

Explanation:

The key to solving this problem is the conjunction "even though." "Even though" means something like "although" or "in spite of the fact" so you know that the second part of the sentence must describe how the author was prevented from enjoying the steak in spite of themselves. The correct answer then is " . . . I could not eat anymore." All the other answer choices would make sense if the phrase "even though" was not included. 

Example Question #136 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Despite their different beliefs __________

Possible Answers:

the two girls were best friends 

the man refused to get married 

the two boys hated each other 

they always disagreed 

the friends stopped spending time together 

Correct answer:

the two girls were best friends 

Explanation:

The use of the conjunction "despite" tells you that the information in the second part of the sentence must be somehow opposite or surprising when related to the first part of the sentence. So, the subjects have different beliefs, but, despite this, " . . . the two girls were best friends." The other answer choices would all make sense if the word "despite" was replaced by "Because of . . . " 

Example Question #137 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

__________, but things are looking better now. 

Possible Answers:

The team is winning every game

It is not often you hear that

She has suffered tremendously

The weather has been perfect recently

There are no outliers in the data

Correct answer:

She has suffered tremendously

Explanation:

The use of the word "but" suggests that whilst things are looking better now, they once were not. "But" is used to change the direction and meaning of a sentence. As in, "I want to go out, but I can't find my shoes." So, the correct answer is "She has suffered tremendously . . . " If it helps "suffered" means experienced pain and "tremendously" means deeply or intensely.

Example Question #138 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

He thought that he had observed a crime, __________.

Possible Answers:

so he called the police

however he called the police

yet he decided to call the police

altogether he felt he should call the police

but he called the police

Correct answer:

so he called the police

Explanation:

You will have noticed that these answer choices are all fairly similar. The only major difference between them is that they use different conjunctions. To solve this problem, then, you need to determine which of these conjunctions fits best. The correct answer is " . . . so he called the police." If the subject saw a crime being committed it makes sense that he would call the police. All the other answer choices are either nonsensical or would only make sense if the subject did not call the police. Additionally, "observed" means witnessed, saw.

Example Question #139 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The two brothers fought often, but __________.

Possible Answers:

one of them had to go to the hospital

they still loved each other

they had a terrible relationship

their mother didn't know what to do with them

their father was forced to ground them

Correct answer:

they still loved each other

Explanation:

The use of the conjunction "but" tells you that the information in the second part of the sentence must be somehow opposite or in direct contrast with the information in the first part of the sentence. All of these answer choices would be better matched with "and" except " . . . they still loved each other."

Example Question #140 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

I love animals very much __________.

Possible Answers:

because I have no pets

yet I have several pets

however I have several pets

and I have several pets

although I have several pets

Correct answer:

and I have several pets

Explanation:

To solve this problem you simply need to determine which of these conjunctions makes sense in the context of this sentence. A "conjunction" is a word that links two parts of a sentence together. Simple examples of conjunctions include "and," "but," "yet," "however," and "because." In this example only the conjunction "and" makes sense as all the other conjunctions (except because) imply that the author would have no pets.

Example Question #961 : Sentence Completions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

She worked very hard, __________.

Possible Answers:

but still did poorly

less hard than him

although she performed well

but was very determined

yet achieved great success

Correct answer:

but still did poorly

Explanation:

This is another problem where the key to solving it rests with recognizing the correct use of a conjunction. The correct answer is " . . . but still did poorly" because the word "but" is used to change the direction of a sentence to cause it to mean the opposite. As in "I am tired, but I refuse to go to sleep" or "I am thirsty, but cannot find any water." The answer choice " . . . less hard than him" contains no conjunctions, but simply does not fit the structure of the sentence.

Example Question #962 : Sentence Completions

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

I am very thirsty, but __________.

Possible Answers:

I cannot find anything to drink

she is also thirsty

it seems reasonable to have a drink

I am very hungry

no wonder I cannot finish my work

Correct answer:

I cannot find anything to drink

Explanation:

The key to solving this problem is the use of the conjunction "but." This suggests that even though the speaker is thirsty he cannot actually have a drink. The correct answer is therefore " . . . I cannot find anything to drink." Most of the other answer choices would make sense if the conjunction was "and" instead of "but."

Example Question #963 : Sentence Completions

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

__________ worked hard to provide for their family.

Possible Answers:

My mother

My sister

The mother and father

The puppy

The father

Correct answer:

The mother and father

Explanation:

The key to solving this problem is the pronoun "their" this tells you that there has to be more than one subject of the sentence. If it was "My mother" then it would be "her/our" family; if it was "The father" then it would be "his" family. The correct answer is therefore "The mother and father . . . " because this reflects the plurality of "their."

Example Question #964 : Sentence Completions

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

__________, but it is worth it.

Possible Answers:

The highway is nicely paved

The water is pure

The food is cheap

The dinner is expensive

The air is clean

Correct answer:

The dinner is expensive

Explanation:

The use of the phrase "but it was worth it" suggests that there must have been some cost or sacrifice involved. Only one of these answer choices reflects something costly that might still be worth it - "The dinner is expensive . . . "

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