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 #2061 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

RESOLUTION

Possible Answers:

Cause

Longsighted

Decision

Adjacent

Problem

Correct answer:

Decision

Explanation:

When someone has “resolve,” that person has a steadfast attitude, generally based upon a definite choice. While the word “resolution” can mean “solution,” as in “the resolution to a problem,” it often is used in the sense of “making a resolution.” In the usage “resolution to a problem,” you can think of the word as meaning “something that resolves a problem.” Among our answers, the closest meaning is “decision.” Here, think of the phenomenon of “making New Year’s resolutions,” that is, making decisions and promises for the New Year.

Example Question #2062 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

REVELRY

Possible Answers:

Disclosure

Festivity

Awakening

Rouge

Tempestuous

Correct answer:

Festivity

Explanation:

Revelry is a rambunctious or noisy form of partying. Often, it comes with the implication that the partying is accompanied by heavy drinking of alcohol. Among the answers, the word “festivity” best signifies this sense of partying.

Example Question #2063 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

REVELRY

Possible Answers:

Disclosure

Awakening

Tempestuous

Rouge

Festivity

Correct answer:

Festivity

Explanation:

Revelry is a rambunctious or noisy form of partying. Often, it comes with the implication that the partying is accompanied by heavy drinking of alcohol. Among the answers, the word “festivity” best signifies this sense of partying.

Example Question #2064 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

VILLAINY

Possible Answers:

Squeamish

Wickedness

Accusation

Superb

Indictable

Correct answer:

Wickedness

Explanation:

Clearly, the word “villainy” is related to “villain.” It is a noun meaning “an action that is immoral,” often implying some kind of illegality. For example, one could say, “The mafia boss committed many acts of villainy, often killing his enemies in a brutal manner without any regret.”

Example Question #2065 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

LIBATION

Possible Answers:

Freedom

Indeterminate

Permissive

Offering

Unfettered

Correct answer:

Offering

Explanation:

The word libation comes from the Latin meaning “to pour out,” generally implying that it is being done as a sacrifice to the God. Such a “libation” would be poured as a type of sacrifice. The term has been made to be somewhat informal in regular speech and is often used to refer to a drink in general. To say, “Let us share a libation,” can sound far more refined than a mere, “Let us share a drink.” Among the options provided, the only one that matches either sense is “offering.”

Example Question #2066 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

WEAL

Possible Answers:

Horror

Congratulation

Interest

Sadness

Forgiveness

Correct answer:

Interest

Explanation:

The word “weal” is perhaps a bit strange in its usage, but it is found in a number of other words. It is related to the word “wealth,” thus meaning something like “good” or “interest” or “wealth.” A commonwealth is a governmental body that comes together for the common interest or good of the group. Likewise, to say that you will stay with someone in “weal and woe” is to say that you will stay with that person in good times and in bad. Thus, the word can be used to express something that is in the interest of a party and is thus used in expressions like, “For the public weal, I must keep this secret, for it would destroy society to know its details.”

Example Question #2067 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

WOE

Possible Answers:

Bury

Sorrow

Illness

Tragedy

Forget

Correct answer:

Sorrow

Explanation:

The word “woe,” is often used in interjections like, “Woe is me! Such horrible things always happen to me!” The sense implied is, “How unhappy and unfortunate I am!” The word “woe” more generally can be used as a noun meaning “sorrow” or “great sadness.” For instance, you could say, “By age ten, the young man had already experienced many more woes than his classmates, whose lives were passed in relative bliss and joy.”

Example Question #2068 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

FRAUD

Possible Answers:

Larceny

Theft

Sham

Robber

Extended

Correct answer:

Sham

Explanation:

The word “fraud” is related to Latin words for “deceit.” Although its strict meaning is a lie that is meant to gain something (money, fame, etc), fraud can mean any willful deception done by a person who claims to be something that he or she is not. Among the options provided, “sham” best matches this general sense. Several of the other options (such as “robber,” “theft,” and “larceny”) are far too specific.

Example Question #2069 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

HIATUS

Possible Answers:

Adventure

Peril

Quirk

Interval

Vacation

Correct answer:

Interval

Explanation:

The word “hiatus” comes from the Latin for “gap.” For instance, the word would be used in a sentence, “After a three year hiatus, the two men were once again friends, acting as though they had not spent those years apart and out of contact.” In general, the term can mean any interval, though it is often mean to indicate an interval of time.

Example Question #2070 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ADULATION

Possible Answers:

Applause

Acceptance

Appraisal

Review

Adoration

Correct answer:

Adoration

Explanation:

The word “adulation” comes from Latin roots related to “to fawn upon.”   When someone “fawns,” he or she praises someone in order to gain that person’s favor. Adulation can described as an act of “adoration.” Though this synonym overlooks some of the flattery involved, it is far better than the other, weaker options provided for this question.

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