All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
She was already weak __________.
in spite of feeling very sick
however she felt very sick
after she got better
and the hunger made it worse
and it made her stronger
and the hunger made it worse
The use of the word "already" suggests that a certain situation existed and then was intensified as in "I was already poor, and then the thief took all my money." So, which of these answer choices is a continuation of the subject's weakness? The correct answer is " . . . and the hunger made it worse." The other answer choices are either illogical within the context of this sentence or else contain conjunctions that do not make sense, like "however" and "in spite of."
Example Question #42 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
She is abnormally pretty and compared to her __________.
I play carefully
I feel gorgeous
the world looks glamorous
I look plain
people feel sufficient
I look plain
To solve this problem you first need to know that "abnormally" means unusually, weirdly, uncommonly. "Abnormal" means not normal. So, if the girl is particularly pretty it makes sense that compared to her the speaker would feel less pretty. The correct answer is therefore " . . . I feel plain." "Plain," when used to describe someone's looks, means average, not very attractive. Additionally, "sufficient" means good enough; "gorgeous" means very attractive, lovely; "glamorous" means fancy, attractive, beautiful.
Example Question #43 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
She was feeling sleepy so __________.
she got lots of work done
he decided to go to sleep
she was able to run a marathon
they had a rest together
she made a cup of coffee
she made a cup of coffee
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices is a normal reaction to being sleepy. The correct answer is therefore " . . . so she made some coffee." Pay careful attention to pronoun continuation. A "pronoun" is a word like "he," "she," and "they" that denotes a type of person that the information in a sentence is related to.
Example Question #44 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The comments were harsh and divisive; __________.
they liberated my friend
they led to a peaceful accord
I thought they were mundane
I found them endearing
they fractured our friendship group
they fractured our friendship group
To solve this problem it is first necessary to know what the words "harsh" and "divisive" mean. "Harsh" means overly critical, serious and severe and "divisive" means causing division, leading to conflict. So, comments that are serious and lead to conflict would be likely to "fracture" a group of friends. "Fracture" means split. Additionally, "endearing" means attractive, appealing, inspiring love; "liberate" means free; an "accord" is an agreement; "mundane" means boring, ordinary.
Example Question #45 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
Life can be arduous in the desert because __________.
working hard is very important
food is scarce
there are few threats
many animals live there
it is usually cold and wet
food is scarce
To solve this problem you first need to know that "arduous" means difficult, hard to overcome. So, you are told that life is difficult in the desert so now you have to identify a reason. The correct answer is therefore " . . . food is scarce." "Scarce" means rare, in short supply.
Example Question #46 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
They all agreed he should be in charge because __________.
he has the most experience
he has a submissive personality
he is foolhardy
he cannot find his daughter
his work is considered subpar
he has the most experience
To answer this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices relates to the reason why someone might be put in charge of a group. The correct answer is therefore " . . . he has the most experience." The other answer choices all describe reasons why someone might not be suited for leading a group, or else, they are nonsensical. Additionally, "submissive" means obedient, easily or happily dominated by others; "foolhardy" means stupid, foolish, silly; "subpar" means below average, not good enough.
Example Question #47 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
It is difficult for some people to be alone, so __________.
they spend all their time with others
they forsake their family
they venture off into the woods
they neglect all relationships in their lives
they refuse to own pets
they spend all their time with others
It is difficult for someone to be alone it makes sense that that person would want to spend time with other people. The correct answer is therefore " . . . they spend all their time with others." All of the other answer choices are actions that might be taken by someone who does like to be alone. Additionally, "neglect" means abandon, refuse to pay attention to; "forsake" means abandon, leave; "venture" means undergo a risky or exciting journey.
Example Question #48 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
As the sickness spreads __________.
fewer people seem to care
the government becomes less anxious
more doctors are needed
people are calming down
medicine is becoming cheaper
more doctors are needed
To solve this problem you have to determine what would be most likely to occur as a "sickness" (disease) spreads. The correct answer is that " . . . more doctors are needed" to care for the sick people. All the other answer choices are things that would be highly unlikely to occur in the event of a widespread disease. For example, it would likely make medicine more expensive, not cheaper. Additionally, "anxious" means worried.
Example Question #49 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
It is perfectly normal to weep __________.
when you feel ecstatic
at a jubilant occasion
over exemplary results
at a somber occasion
on a mediocre day
at a somber occasion
To begin with to "weep" means to cry heavily. So, to solve this problem you need to determine when it is normal to cry heavily. The correct answer is " . . . at a somber occasion." "Somber" means serious, grave, dark. So, an example of a "somber occasion" might be a funeral. All the other answer choices are positive occasions as can be seen in the vocabulary words used in each sentence - "jubilant" means very happy, celebratory; "exemplary" means perfect, serving as an example of perfection; "ecstatic" means very happy. Finally, the word "mediocre" means average in a bad way. Although a "mediocre" day would not be happy, it would also not be serious enough to make one "weep." It would be an average day, so this also does not fit with the intensity of the sentence.
Example Question #50 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The heavy bed was carried up the stairs by __________.
the two malevolent young men
the two robust young boys
the pregnant mother
the frail man and his elderly wife
the infirm man and his young toddler
the two robust young boys
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices contains a group of people who would be most likely or most able to carry a heavy bed up the stairs. The correct answer is therefore " . . . the two robust young boys." "Robust" means strong and healthy, fit. Additionally, "infirm" means weak, sickly; "frail" means weak, usually also sick and elderly; a "toddler" is a small child; "malevolent" means bad-natured, evil.
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All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
