ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Synonyms

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quantity, Variety, And Size

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

SOLITARY

Possible Answers:

Luxurious

Paired

Married

Lone

Guardian 

Correct answer:

Lone

Explanation:

"Solitary" means lonealone, or by oneself, so "lone" is the correct answer. To help you, "paired" means put together into a group of two, "guardian" means defender, and "luxurious" means fancy and expensive.

Example Question #5 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quantity, Variety, And Size

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

UNIQUE

Possible Answers:

Young

One-of-a-kind

Regular

Commonplace

Correct answer:

One-of-a-kind

Explanation:

When something is "unique," it is the only one of its kind, or at the very least extremely special. For example, people often talk about snowflakes as examples of uniqueness, stating that each snowflake is slightly different. "One-of-a-kind" is the correct choice here. "Commonplace" and "regular" refer to ordinary things, so these words are the opposite of our answer. "Young," which means having so far only been alive for a brief period of time or not old, is an unrelated concept.

Example Question #6 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quantity, Variety, And Size

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

PECULIAR

Possible Answers:

Intelligent

Strange

Uninteresting

Normal

Correct answer:

Strange

Explanation:

"Peculiar" is an adjective that means unusual. Therefore, the word "strange" is the correct choice; other synonyms might include odd or abnormal. "Normal" is an antonym of "peculiar," and "intelligent," or smart, is unrelated. "Uninteresting" is also an incorrect choice because a peculiar object is unlikely to be boring.

Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quantity, Variety, And Size

Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.

IMMENSE

Possible Answers:

Petite

Tiny

Miniscule

Lilliputian 

Huge

Correct answer:

Huge

Explanation:

Immense means massive, huge, or very significant. To further help you, it is an antonym of the other four answer choices, as it has the opposite meaning to them. Miniscule, petite and lilliputian are all synonyms that mean very small.

Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quantity, Variety, And Size

Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.

PUNY

Possible Answers:

Dazed

Bemused

Big

Small

Lucky

Correct answer:

Small

Explanation:

"Puny" means weak and small. To further help you, "dazed" means stunned, especially by a blow; "bemused" means confused and puzzled

Example Question #57 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Synonyms: Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

COMMON

Possible Answers:

Locality

Dedicated

Rare

Normal

Correct answer:

Normal

Explanation:

"Common" is defined as not rare. "Normal" is the best answer choice, because "normal" describes things that are standard, regular, or natural. "Rare" is an antonym of "common."

Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quantity, Variety, And Size

Synonyms: Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

MINUSCULE

Possible Answers:

Gigantic

Tiny

Magnificent

Opaque

Correct answer:

Tiny

Explanation:

"Minuscule" is an adjective that means extremely small. So, the answer choice closest in meaning to "minuscule" is "tiny," an adjective that means very small. None of the other answers are close in meaning to "minuscule": "gigantic" is an antonym of "miniscule" and means very large; "opaque" means not transparent; and "magnificent" means impressively beautiful.

Example Question #51 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.

SUBSTANTIAL

Possible Answers:

Large 

Aggressive

Passive 

Petite 

Miniscule

Correct answer:

Large 

Explanation:

“Substantial” means large, significant, and extensive. To provide further help, “miniscule” and "petite" are synonyms and both mean very small. "Aggressive" means violent and destructive and is an antonym of “passive,” which means peaceful and calm. "Passive" can also be used to mean weak or easily dominated.

Example Question #52 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

IMMENSE

Possible Answers:

Miniature

Intermediate

Microscopic

Colossal

Correct answer:

Colossal

Explanation:

"Immense" and "colossal" both mean very large, so "colossal" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "microscopic" and "miniature" both mean very small, though "microscopic" means so small as to need a microscope to be seen and "miniature" means being a smaller version of something else. "Intermediate" means of a difficulty between easy and challenging.

Example Question #231 : Identifying Synonyms

A synonym of "compact" is __________.

Possible Answers:

worrisome

pointless

bungling

miniature

oversized

Correct answer:

miniature

Explanation:

"Compact" is a word that when used as an adjective can mean "closely and neatly packed together; dense," or "having all the necessary components or features neatly fitted into a small space." So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "small." That means that "oversized" can't be the correct answer, because "oversized" can mean "bigger than the usual size," so "oversized" is an antonym of "compact." "Miniature," however, is an adjective that means "of a much smaller size than normal; very small," especially when used of a replica of something, so "miniature" is the correct answer because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "compact."

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors