ISEE Upper Level Verbal : ISEE Upper Level (grades 9-12) Verbal Reasoning

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #1231 : One Blank Sentences

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

Before you drink the water from that dirty river, you need to filter it and treat it with certain chemicals; only then will it be __________.

Possible Answers:

jaded

chary

unaccustomed

potable

enervated

Correct answer:

potable

Explanation:

"Potable" means suitable for drinking.

Example Question #1232 : One Blank Sentences

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

“Don’t you think that assigning five hours of homework a night is a bit too __________?” the concerned parent asked the teacher.

Possible Answers:

surreptitious

explicit

somatic

gregarious

onerous

Correct answer:

onerous

Explanation:

"Onerous" means burdensome.

Example Question #1233 : One Blank Sentences

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

“It wasn’t very nice or __________ to tell that other little girl that you thought she was boring,” Ann said to her daughter.

Possible Answers:

ubiquitious

tactful

resilient 

derisive

jejune

Correct answer:

tactful

Explanation:

"Tactful" means skillful at not offending others.

Example Question #1231 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

Ever since Jean Paul and I broke up, everyone tells me the same __________ phrase: there are always more fish in the sea.

Possible Answers:

opulent

abbreviated

hackneyed

aesthetic

scrutinizing

Correct answer:

hackneyed

Explanation:

"Hackneyed" means clichéd, or worn out by overuse.

Example Question #1232 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

Marisol had only a(n) __________ understanding of how to fix and maintain her car, and so she took an automobile repair class.

Possible Answers:

prosaic

superficial

intrepid

mundane

amicable

Correct answer:

superficial

Explanation:

"Superficial" means shallow, or lacking depth.

Example Question #1233 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

Because Louisa had just jogged three miles in the sun, her face looked __________.

Possible Answers:

implacable

ornate

restive

florid

sanctimonious

Correct answer:

florid

Explanation:

"Florid" means having a red or flushed complexion. It also can mean flowery or ornate.

Example Question #1072 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

I don’t know what to do with a very __________ student whom I have. My usual responses to bad behavior, such as sending him to the principal’s office and having conferences with the parents, are not changing his actions.

Possible Answers:

laconic

diaphanous

recalcitrant

ingenuous

impractical

Correct answer:

recalcitrant

Explanation:

"Recalcitrant" means defiant or unapologetic.

Example Question #1073 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

The cartoon __________ portrays human beings befriending dinosaurs, a historical and scientific implausibility.

Possible Answers:

allegedly

benignly

scrupulously

anachronistically

mellifluously

Correct answer:

anachronistically

Explanation:

A human being befriending a dinosaur is historically and scientifically incorrect, and "anachronistically" is the only answer choice that fits. “Anachronistically” means historically out of place.

Example Question #1074 : Sentence Completion Questions

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

Many readers pored through the romance novel, looking for every __________ detail.

Possible Answers:

logistical

grotesque

lurid

recurring

urbane

Correct answer:

lurid

Explanation:

While details could be "urbane," "recurring," "logistical," "grotesque," or "lurid," only "lurid" refers to the facts one would be most likely to find in a romance novel.

Example Question #1234 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

He had taken such a(n) __________ position that no one would believe him.

Possible Answers:

untenable

litigated

illusory

entrenched

salubrious

Correct answer:

untenable

Explanation:

His position was difficult to hold or impossible to use to convince other people, thus it was "untenable." "Salibrous: can be crossed off immediately for not pertaining to a position, but instead to health. While he may be "entrenched" in this opinion, his relationship to the opinion is not in question. While "illusory" is a tempting option as it means not real, he is holding a real position; it is simply unable to be maintained or defended.

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