All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #134 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Scientists have yet to determine what killed off all the dinosaurs, but have come up with several theories to explain what drove them to suddenly become __________.
archaic
organic
extinct
omnivorous
extant
extinct
We can infer from the sentence that we need to pick out an adjective that can describe organisms that have “all” been “killed off.” While both “extinct” and “extant” might look like potentially correct answers because they look and sound similar, “extant” is an adjective that is used especially to describe a document and means still in existence. This is clearly an antonym of the word we’re looking for, so “extant” cannot be the correct answer. “Extinct,” however, is an adjective that can mean no longer in existence; so, because “extinct” best describes the dinosaurs after they were all killed off by something, “extinct” is the correct answer.
Example Question #135 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Snowstorms __________ occur in the tropics because the weather down there is consistently warmer than it is in areas farther north, so they experience rainstorms and snowstorms are extremely rare.
usually
sometimes
occasionally
always
seldom
seldom
We know from the sentence that "snowstorms are extremely rare" in the tropics, so we need to pick out an adverb that means something like "rarely" to describe the interval at which they occur in the tropics. So, neither "always" and "usually" can be the correct answer, because each of those words is an antonym of "rarely." "Seldom," however, is an adverb that means rarely, and because it best fits the context of the sentence, "seldom" is the correct answer.
Example Question #136 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Though all of the flowers smelled wonderful, Susanna thought that the hyacinths were the most __________.
fetid
fragrant
charismatic
rank
tasty
fragrant
Because the sentence is comparative and begins, "Though all of the flowers smelled wonderful," we can infer that we need to pick out a word that means smelling good. While "fragrant," "rank," and "fetid" all describe smells, "rank" and "fetid" describe disgusting smells, so they wouldn't make sense in the sentence, comparing hyacinths to other "flowers [that] smelled wonderful." "Fragrant," however, is an adjective that means having a nice smell, and because "fragrant" best describes the smell of a flower, "fragrant" is the correct answer.
Example Question #137 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Fill in the blank with the word that best completes the sentence.
In order to absorb the information presented during class, it is important to be __________.
hard-working
outgoing
attentive
careful
distracted
attentive
Students should be "attentive," or paying attention, if they want to absorb the material taught during class. "Careful" means cautious; "outgoing" means friendly and extroverted; and "distracted" means not fully paying attention to something.
Example Question #138 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.
For summer vacation, my family chose to go __________ rather than to stay in the United States.
plummet
campaign
abroad
perish
intercept
abroad
In this sentence, the blank should include a word that describes the opposite of staying in the United States. The word that would make the most sense in the blank is "abroad," which means in a foreign country. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank: "campaign" means run for a political position, like for president; "intercept" means interrupt; "perish" means die; and, "plummet" means sharply decrease.
Example Question #139 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Sentence Completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.
The audience was __________ that Larry did not receive the Presidential Award because his victory was believed to be definite.
shocked
annoyed
tired
ecstatic
shocked
We need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "surprised" or "confused" because the sentence tells us that the audience thought that Larry was sure to win the Presidential Award. So, "shocked," an adjective that means surprised, is the correct answer choice because it best fits the sentence's context. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank space: "annoyed" means irritated; "tired" means exhausted; and "ecstatic" means very excited or elated.
Example Question #140 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Which of the following words best completes the sentence below?
I helped a friend move today. I carried enormous boxes up and down six flights of stairs, and it was __________.
refined
amazing
wasteful
exhausting
worrisome
exhausting
While all the answers fit in the sentence grammatically, "exhausting" most closely relates to the meaning and context of the sentence.
Example Question #141 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
In limestone, there are often __________ fossils that are well preserved due to the pressure of this type of sedimentary rock sealing them into the rock.
volatile
defective
detached
embedded
designated
embedded
The best word to describe fossils that are secured in limestone and sealed over time is embedded.
Example Question #641 : Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The hush of the forest allows listeners to hear nature's rhythms, and even the soft sound of the woodpecker's beak hitting the tree is __________.
perceptible
muted
unrecognizable
inharmonious
masked
perceptible
The sentence is saying that since the forest is so quiet, even soft sounds can be distinctly heard. Another way of saying this is to describe the sounds as "perceptible," or easily perceived.
Example Question #143 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, it __________ rains.
continually
constantly
never
seldom
sporadically
seldom
In this sentence, the correct answer is one that indicates that it rarely rains in the desert regions; therefore, the correct answer is seldom. It doesn't continually rain, but it also doesn't remain absolutely without rain.