All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #711 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After many years of having his motives questioned, Richardâs actions were at last __________ when the public saw the heroic sacrifices he had to make in undertaking his lifeâs work.
unearthed
revealed
discovered
unveiled
vindicated
vindicated
The key thing to note here is that Richard's motives were prejudged in a way that appears to be negative. When someone is vindicated, he or she is cleared of suspicion. The word comes from Latin roots for âavenger.â One who is vindicated can often be said to be âavenged,â though without necessarily carrying the somewhat violent connotations accompanying that word.
Example Question #711 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Since the old man was extremely well-read on many topics, his discussion very readily __________ over many pertinent topics.
meander
tumbled
stumble
veered
ranged
ranged
For this sentence, it is necessary to avoid implying anything more than is warranted. Most of the options given have a negative connotation (i.e. âmeander,â âstumble,â âtumbled,â and âveeredâ). In distinction from such negative words, one can be said to ârangeâ over topics without it being implied that such ranging is mere rambling in an undirected manner; therefore, this is the best option.
Example Question #713 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Since the meat was rather rough and hard, it needed to be __________ in a marinade for several days before it could be chewed at all.
masticated
manducated
stored
macerated
manipulated
macerated
Do not be tricked by the many options that appear to be similar in meaning. To âmasticateâ is to chew, and to âmanducateâ is to eat. The best term is âmascerate,â which means âto soften something by soaking it.â
Example Question #714 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After __________ with his advisors, the prince nevertheless decided to take up the cause of war against the neighboring land, thus ignoring the advice given him in the meeting.
disdaining
contradicting
arguing
consulting
disagreeing
consulting
Since the sentence indicates that the prince had been in a meeting, we can safely assume that the âafter . . . â describes an event preceding his act of deciding. This event is referred to in the subordinate clause, âthus ignoring . . .â as being a meeting. Since he is said âneverthelessâ to have ignored the advisors, it is safe to say that the meeting was held in order to âconsultâ with them.
Example Question #621 : Sentence Completion Questions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Having accepted that there was no other choice but to have the root canal, Sarah __________ herself to the painful procedure.
scheduled
aligned
arranged
resigned
directed
resigned
In this sentence, both meaning and structure help to indicate the answer. The preposition âtoâ is not used much with a number of the options, and while an awkward construction does not eliminate an answer, it does make it a much less worthwhile option. The word âresignedâ functions both in the structure and by meaning. Since Sarah accepted the root canal, though apparently not desiring it, she can be said to have âresignedâ herself to it. The word has a first meaning of âleaving a position by ones own choiceâ (as in âresigning from the board of directorsâ). Here, one can take the meaning as âresigningâ from oneâs desire to avoid the painful procedure.
Example Question #591 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Everyone thought that the football player's injury would keep him indisposed for the rest of the season, but after having surgery, he was able to __________ at an amazing rate and help his team win the championship.
sicken
distinguish
protect
intrude
convalesce
convalesce
We can infer from the sentence's context that we need to pick out a verb that means something like "recover," because we know that the football player was able to recover after having surgery and help his team win the championship. So, "sicken" cannot be the correct answer because it is an antonym of "recover." "Convalesce," however, is a verb that means "recover one's health and strength over a period of time after an illness or operation," and because it best fits the context of the sentence, it is the correct answer.
Example Question #712 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Joshua would regularly __________ words in his sentences, much to the annoyance of those who could not decipher his often-cryptic shorthand.
confound
decode
abbreviate
encode
reorder
abbreviate
Do not be fooled by the word âcrypticâ in the subordinate clause, for this will likely lead you to choose either âencodeâ or âreorder.â The actual implication is that his handwriting is cryptic because it is shorthand. The best choice is therefore âabbreviate,â which is clearly related to the familiar word âabbreviation.â To abbreviate is to render something in a shorter form. It comes from the Latin for âshortâ and is related to English words like âbrevity,â âbrief,â and âbreviloquence.â
Example Question #713 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The book was full of secret plots and conspiracies; the reader could never quite tell who was __________ with whom.
defaming
waltzing
inquiring
colluding
feasting
colluding
"Secret plots" and "conspiracies" are key words here, because colluding means to conspiring or acting together in secret. Another hint is that collude is related to collaborate, which has a similar meaning without the shady connotation.
Example Question #714 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
With the passage of time, Jonathanâs anger __________ until it was almost non-existent.
waned
fulminated
acceded
reclined
preceded
waned
The sense of the sentence is that Jonathanâs anger decreased over time. The only word that indicates that is âwaned.â The word is often used to speak of the moon, which is said to âwaxâ when it grows larger and to âwaneâ when it shines with less surface area. The word is often used to describe the diminution of an emotion or quality.
Example Question #715 : Sentence Completion
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Despite the partial fingerprint and hair found at the crime scene, the evidence was not enough to __________ the suspect, so she was set free.
juxtapose
induce
release
obstinate
incriminate
incriminate
The word "despite" tells us that the second half of the sentence will contradict the first. So looking at the first half, we would think that the suspect would go to jail, but we need to complete the second half with a word that contradicts that. Incriminate fits here, because the sentence says that the evidence was not enough to send the suspect to jail.
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All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
