All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #2211 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TRANSCEND
Concerned with
Ignore
Go beyond
Beleaguer
Sink into
Go beyond
"Transcend" is a verb that means "be or go beyond the range or limits of something abstract, typically a conceptual field or division," or "surpass a person or an achievement." So, while "concerned with" or "beleaguer" might each look like a potentially correct answer because each answer choice can concern abstract details, "go beyond" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "transcend," so it is the correct answer.
Example Question #2212 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
AGGRANDIZE
debilitate
jettison
abridge
augment
expedite
augment
"Aggrandize" and "augment" both mean to increase or enlarge. "Abridge" means to shorten or curtail. "Debilitate" means to incapacitate or cripple. "Expedite" means to accelerate. "Jettison" means to eject or throw overboard.
Example Question #2213 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
GERMINATE
Relish
Reinforce
Sprout
Renounce
Quell
Sprout
Germinate means to grow or sprout. "Relish" means to enjoy or take delight in doing something. "Quell" means to subdue or put down. "Reinforce" means to support or strengthen. "Renounce" means to abandon or reject.
Example Question #2214 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TAINT
Elixir
Restrain
Hold
Adulterate
Puncture
Adulterate
The word “taint” comes distantly from the Latin word for “to dye” and is likewise related to the English “tinge,” meaning, “to give a slight coloration to something.” The general idea expressed by “taint” is that something is being polluted or contaminated by another thing. One could say, “The water was tainted with fish blood, making it impossible to drink.” Likewise, one could use the term in a metaphoric sense like, “Ronald’s negative attitude tainted the positive spirits of the entire group, reducing everyone’s enjoyment.” When something is “adulterated,” it is corrupted, generally by adding something of worse quality to something of better quality.
Example Question #2215 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
VACATE
Shun
Eschew
Forget
Relax
Leave
Leave
The word “vacate” is related to vacuum, as it comes from the Latin for “to leave empty.” When someone vacates an area, he or she leaves it. For instance, you likely have heard the expression “vacate the premises.” This expression means, “to leave the building or property.” The word is distantly related to “vacation,” which can merely mean “to be unoccupied,” as though you had “empty time on your hands.”
Example Question #2216 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OCCLUDE
Impede
Castigate
Assuage
Facilitate
Enervate
Impede
"Occlude" and "impede" both mean to hinder or block a process. "Facilitate" means to assist the progress of. "Enervate" means to tire or wear out. "Castigate" means to criticize severely. "Assuage" means to soothe or relieve.
Example Question #2217 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OSCILLATE
Levitate
Fluctuate
Bungle
Refuse
Abdicate
Fluctuate
"Oscillate" means to fluctuate or change back and forth; think of an oscillating fan. "Levitate" means to rise into the air. "Abdicate" means to give up a right, position, or power. "Bungle" means to blunder or mess up. "Refuse" means to deny or say no.
Example Question #2218 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TRUNCATE
Storage
Shorten
Luggage
Accumulate
Reserve
Shorten
The word “truncate” comes from Latin roots for “to maim” (to wound by causing a body part to become useless). This word is generally applied metaphorically to mean “to cut short.” For instance, one can say, “The message was truncated unexpectedly, sending only the first half of the contents.”
Example Question #2219 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CONJURE
Witchcraft
Vanish
Fasten
Produce
Judgment
Produce
We might often think of “conjuring” in terms of magical tricks. The word actually can mean “to bring to mind,” as in, “The smell of pumpkin pie conjures images of Thanksgiving Day dinner for many American adults.” Likewise, it can have the more general meaning of “to produce unexpectedly,” as in, “I was always amazed that my mother could conjure up the most beautiful Christmas decorations in spite of our dire poverty.” For this reason, “produce” is the best option among those provided.
Example Question #2220 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ENERVATE
Dash
Fortify
Recite
Time
Enfeeble
Enfeeble
"Enervate" is a verb that means "cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "weaken." "Fortify" cannot be the correct answer, then, because "fortify" can mean "strengthen or invigorate (someone) mentally or physically," making it an antonym, not a synonym, of "enervate." "Enfeeble," however, is a verb that means "make weak or feeble," and because "enfeeble" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "enervate," "enfeeble" is the correct answer.
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All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
