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 #2231 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

RUFFLE

Possible Answers:

Disorder

Creased

Raiment

Lacerate

Tear

Correct answer:

Disorder

Explanation:

Sometimes, you might hear an expression like, “Don’t ruffle his feathers; he gets very angry easily.” The word “ruffle” literally means to cause disorder in some manner, often applying to hair or perhaps a bird’s feathers when they stand up for mating or as a sign of aggression. It can be used in the general sense, implying merely that something or someone is causing disorder something else.  Among the options provided, this is the sense to be chosen.

Example Question #2232 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

RUFFLE

Possible Answers:

Raiment

Tear

Creased

Lacerate

Disorder

Correct answer:

Disorder

Explanation:

Sometimes, you might hear an expression like, “Don’t ruffle his feathers; he gets very angry easily.” The word “ruffle” literally means to cause disorder in some manner, often applying to hair or perhaps a bird’s feathers when they stand up for mating or as a sign of aggression. It can be used in the general sense, implying merely that something or someone is causing disorder something else.  Among the options provided, this is the sense to be chosen.

Example Question #2233 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

SCAVENGE

Possible Answers:

Nibble

Steal

Mortify

Rummage

Gnaw

Correct answer:

Rummage

Explanation:

“Scavenging” animals are those that live on the dead bodies of other animals. More generally, “scavengers” are those animals and people that search for whatever they need by looking in the waste and garbage of others. When someone “rummages,” he or she searches in a manner that is rather disorganized, often paying little head to the mess they make when performing his or her search. When someone scavenges, this is likely to be the manner of searching. For this reason, “rummage” is often used as a synonym of scavenge.

Example Question #2234 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

STAUNCH

Possible Answers:

Restrain

Olfaction

Spoilage

Reek

Decomposition

Correct answer:

Restrain

Explanation:

The word “staunch” has two meanings. On the one hand, it can mean “faithful” as in, “He was a staunch supporter to the cause, regularly donating time and money.” The word is derived from a base that means “watertight” or “dried up.” In English, it has thus come to mean “to stop the flow of blood” as in, “He staunched the wound with thick bandages.” When used figuratively, it can mean the more general “to stop the flow.” For this reason, “restrain” is the best option among those provided.

Example Question #2235 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

DISSEMINATE

Possible Answers:

Scatter

Atomize

Demobilize

Crumble

Pulverize

Correct answer:

Scatter

Explanation:

The best answer choice is scatter since disseminate means to spread or disperse such as in the case of disseminating information.

Example Question #2236 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

ABSCOND

Possible Answers:

Imply

Flee

Endure

Inhibit

Sate

Correct answer:

Flee

Explanation:

"Abscond" and "flee" both mean to run away or escape. "Endure" means to withstand or bear a hardship. "Imply" means to suggest or indicate. "Inhibit" means to restrict or prevent. "Sate" means to satisfy.

Example Question #2237 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

MIGRATE

Possible Answers:

Occupy

Retreat

Flee

Relocate

Invade

Correct answer:

Relocate

Explanation:

The word “migrate” is derived from the Latin root word for “to move or transport.” Among the options given here, only “relocate” signifies this general sense of the word. This word can apply not only to humans but also to animals. For instance, consider the sentence, “George was quite knowledgeable about the migratory patterns of spotted geese, which relocated themselves to Mexico every winter.” The word “migrate” is related to “immigrate” and “immigrant.”

Example Question #2238 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

DAWDLE

Possible Answers:

Harry

Linger

Draw

Proliferate

Incite

Correct answer:

Linger

Explanation:

“Dawdle” means delay, linger, or stay somewhere too long, or move too slowly, so "linger" is the best answer, as "linger" means remain in a place longer than one is expected to. As for the other answer choices, “Harry” means annoy or harass; "incite" means cause someone to feel strong emotions or act definitively, often in a negative way; "draw" means illustrate or sketch the image of; and "proliferate" means multiply in number.

Example Question #2239 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

ASSIMILATE

Possible Answers:

Insist

Peak

Incorporate

Embarrass

Frequent

Correct answer:

Incorporate

Explanation:

To “assimilate” something means to take it over and add it to something else. It is very close in meaning to “incorporate,” which means take in and add into the whole. As for the other answer choices, to "insist" means to encourage someone forcefully to do something your way; "peak," when used as a verb, means to reach a high point; "embarrass" means cause someone to feel ashamed, often in front of others; and "frequent," when used as a verb, means patronize or visit a certain location or establishment often.

Example Question #2240 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning

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

AMASS

Possible Answers:

Bellow

Intervene

Tamper

Interject

Collect

Correct answer:

Collect

Explanation:

“Amass” means gather or "collect." As for the other answer choices, to “tamper” with something means to interfere with it, or to mess around with it so that it breaks; “interject” means interrupt the flow of a conversation with one's own comments; “intervene” means get involved to stop something from happening; and “bellow” means shout or yell loudly.

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