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 #2101 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

__________ when she dropped out of college. 

Possible Answers:

She graduated top of her class 

She achieved academic success 

Her parents were very disappointed 

She felt she had succeeded 

She moved into her university dormitory 

Correct answer:

Her parents were very disappointed 

Explanation:

To solve this problem you need to figure out which of these answer choices most likely describes what would happen when someone drops out of college. The correct answer is therefore "Her parents were very disappointed . . . " as this is the only negative answer available. Additionally, "graduated" means moved on fromsuccessfully completed academic work; "academic" means related to school or college

Example Question #2102 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

For him it was like __________; as close to God as he was ever going to get. 

Possible Answers:

an extreme anxiety 

a religious experience 

a perfect failure 

an unorthodox experience 

a flawed moment 

Correct answer:

a religious experience 

Explanation:

To solve this problem you have to determine which of these answer choices describes an event that relates to feeling close to God. The correct answer is therefore " . . . a religious experience." An "experience" is something that happens to you. Additionally, "unorthodox" means not usual, unconventional; "anxiety" means worry, fear about the future; "extreme" means intense; "flawed" means not perfect, containing errors

Example Question #2103 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

__________ and imprisoned the local rulers. 

Possible Answers:

After reading about tyranny 

The people were oppressed 

The war was over 

The army occupied the country 

They completed their mild adventure 

Correct answer:

The army occupied the country 

Explanation:

To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices would most likely be related to the imprisonment of local rulers. This sounds like a violent action associated with war so the correct answer is "The army occupied the country . . . " To "occupy" means to take up space, to take over. The other answer choices are all either unrelated to the imprisonment of rulers or else contain illogical conjunctions and conjugation. For example a "mild adventure" would be unlikely to end in the imprisonment of a ruling class. Additionally, "tyranny" means cruel and absolute power; "oppressed" means under harsh and brutal treatment

Example Question #1008 : Sentence Completions

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

Her foot was hurting and then she aggravated it __________

Possible Answers:

and made it feel better 

when she spent money on medicine 

, but never felt worse 

when she fell 

by taking it easy 

Correct answer:

when she fell 

Explanation:

To solve this problem you first need to know that to "aggravate" means to make worse. So, which of these answer choices best describes an action that might make someone's leg hurt even more? The correct answer is " . . . when she fell." All the other answer choices either describe the relief of pain or else are completely nonsensical. 

Example Question #2104 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

His gloomy demeanor __________

Possible Answers:

made her think of darkness 

was intensified by his favorite meal 

illuminated the world around him 

brightened his father's day 

allowed him to succeed in politics 

Correct answer:

made her think of darkness 

Explanation:

To solve this problem you first need to know that "gloomy" means dark, depressing and "demeanor" means attitude, mood, way of carrying oneself. So, someone with a "gloomy demeanor" has a "dark and depressing attitude." It logically makes sense then that this would remind the girl of darkness. Additionally, "illuminated" means lit up, shined a light on; "intensified" means became more intense

Example Question #31 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

"Careful," the old man exclaimed, "__________." 

Possible Answers:

I feel very strong 

that box is marked fragile 

I feel as young as ever 

I wish I could spend all day with you 

the weight is not cumbersome 

Correct answer:

that box is marked fragile 

Explanation:

In this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices is something that someone might say after saying "Careful." The correct answer is therefore " . . . this box is marked fragile." "Fragile" means easily broken. The other answer choices all either describe reasons why someone might not have to be careful or else are unrelated and nonsensical. Additionally, "exclaimed" means said, expressed out loud; "cumbersome" means heavy, difficult to carry, difficult to manage

Example Question #32 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

__________ with his calming words.

Possible Answers:

He ensured chaos

He soothed the man

He preserved bedlam

He exacerbated the problem

He aggravated the situation

Correct answer:

He soothed the man

Explanation:

To solve this problem you need to consider what someone's calming words might lead to. The correct answer is "He soothed the man . . . " "Soothed" means assuaged, calmed, made to feel better and more relaxed. The other answer choices all suggest a result that would not occur from someone speaking calmly. Additionally, "exacerbated" and "aggravated" both mean intensified and made worse; "bedlam" means mayhem, disorder, chaos, madness; "ensured" means made sure happened; "preserved" means saved, maintained.

Example Question #33 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

Compared to a genius __________.

Possible Answers:

I feel stupid

no-one feels unattractive

people feel splendid

I look beautiful

she is smart

Correct answer:

I feel stupid

Explanation:

To begin with you need to know that a "genius" is someone very smart. So, which of these answer choices describes what might happen when someone is compared to a genius? The correct answer is " . . . I feel stupid." To "compare" means to measure something against something else. So, when measured next to a genius the speaker feels stupid by comparison. Additionally, "unattractive" means not attractive, ugly; "splendid" means excellent, great.

Example Question #34 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

If you warm an ice-cube __________.

Possible Answers:

you can't get water

you are going to burn

although needing water

despite getting water

it is likely to melt

Correct answer:

it is likely to melt

Explanation:

To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices describes something that might happen if you heat an ice-cube. The correct answer is, obviously, that it will melt. You need to be careful of this question because the incorrect answers contain illogical conjunctions. If a conjunction does not sound right to you, but you have no other information to go on, you should trust your instincts. The human brain is hard-wired to understand language and sentence structure, and even if you do not understand what a specific conjunction means you might still recognize what it cannot mean. 

Example Question #35 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions

Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

The snow accumulated __________.

Possible Answers:

and melted away

before the snow fell

and was replaced by rain

and had to be shovelled

without any frigid temperatures

Correct answer:

and had to be shovelled

Explanation:

To solve this problem you first need to know that "accumulated" means gathered, piled up, collected. So, if the snow was gathering and collecting on the ground which of these answer choices is the most likely result? The correct answer is " . . . and had to be shovelled." The other answer choices all describe something illogical within the context of this sentence. Additionally, "frigid" means very cold; "temperature" means the measure of how hot or cold it is.

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