ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Identifying Synonyms

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #591 : Identifying Synonyms

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

PROFANE

Possible Answers:

Considerate

Secular

Potential

Holy

Manageable

Correct answer:

Secular

Explanation:

"Profane" is a word that when used as an adjective, can mean either "relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious" or "not respectful of orthodox religious practice; irreverent" when describing a person or his or her behavior. As a verb, "profane" means "treat something sacred with irreverence or disrespect." However, all of our potential answer choices are adjectives, so we will need to consider "profane" as an adjective. So, "religious" cannot be the correct answer, because "religious" is an antonym of "profane," not a synonym. "Secular," however, is an adjective that means "denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis." So, because "secular" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "profane," it is the correct answer.

Example Question #592 : Identifying Synonyms

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

INCONGROUS

Possible Answers:

Divisive

Apathetic

Cacophonous

Ambiguous

Anomalous

Correct answer:

Anomalous

Explanation:

Because "incongrous" means out of the ordinary or not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something, the answer choice that is its closest synonym is "anomalous," or deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected.

Example Question #593 : Identifying Synonyms

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

COMMENSURATE

Possible Answers:

Correspondent

Burgeoning

Redundant

Critical

Ambiguous

Correct answer:

Correspondent

Explanation:

"Commensurate" is an adjective that means "equal or similar to something in size, amount, or degree; in proportion to," so we need to pick out a word that means "proportionate." While "redundant" may sound like a good answer choice because it also deals with relationships between things, "redundant" actually means "repeating something else and therefore unnecessary," so it is not the word we're looking for. "Correspondent," however, besides meaning "a person who writes letters to a person or a newspaper, especially on a regular basis" as a noun, can also function as an adjective meaning "having a close similarity; matching or agreeing almost exactly." Of the available answer choices, "correspondent" is closest in meaning to "commensurate," so it is the correct answer.

Example Question #594 : Identifying Synonyms

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

ANOMALOUS

Possible Answers:

Conforming

Intransigent

Floundering

Incongruous

Garrulous

Correct answer:

Incongruous

Explanation:

"Anomalous" and "incongruous" both mean deviating from normal or unusual. "Conforming" means agreeing or harmonious. "Garrulous" means talkative. "Floundering" means struggling or stumbling. "Intransigent" means adamant or stubborn

Example Question #595 : Identifying Synonyms

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

INSIPID

Possible Answers:

Banal

Homogenous

Sedulous

Avant-garde

Appetizing

Correct answer:

Banal

Explanation:

"Insipid" and "banal" both mean dull or uninteresting. "Appetizing" means delicious or appealing. "Sedulous" means busy or determined. "Avant-garde" means unconventional or forward-thinking. "Homogenous" means similar or comparable.

Example Question #596 : Identifying Synonyms

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

PRETERNATURAL

Possible Answers:

Germane

Munificent

Anomalous

Stupefying

Voluminous

Correct answer:

Anomalous

Explanation:

"Preternatural" and "anomalous" both mean unusual or abnormal. "Germane" means appropriate or applicable. "Munificent" means giving or generous. "Stupefying" means stunning or amazing. "Voluminous" means ample or vast

Example Question #597 : Identifying Synonyms

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

POTENT

Possible Answers:

Stewing

Untainted

Forceful

Poisonous

Drinkable

Correct answer:

Forceful

Explanation:

The “pot-” portion of this word is derived from the Latin for able and also power. It is found in many English words like “impotent,” “potency,” “omnipotence,” and “potential.” Someone might say, “The speech was extremely potent in stirring the emotions of the crowd; soon, everyone was marching according to the instructions of the speaker.” Among the options provided, “forceful” best conveys this sense of “power.”

Example Question #598 : Identifying Synonyms

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

FUTILE

Possible Answers:

Ineffectual

Feeble

Bothersome

Useful

Annoying

Correct answer:

Ineffectual

Explanation:

When something is futile, it accomplishes nothing. For example, one could say, “No matter how long Thomas spent in the gym, it felt futile, for he was always unable to lift his goal amount of weights.” When something is “ineffectual,” it is “unable to have an effect.” The word is thus somewhat like “ineffective.”

Example Question #599 : Identifying Synonyms

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

INEXORABLE

Possible Answers:

Unstoppable

Imaginative

Preventable

Persuadable

Limited

Correct answer:

Unstoppable

Explanation:

"Inexorable" is an adjective that means "impossible to stop or prevent," or when describing a person, "impossible to persuade by request or entreaty." So, neither "preventable" nor "persuadable" can be the correct answer because each of those words is an antonym of "inexorable," not a synonym. The correct answer is "unstoppable," an adjective that like "inexorable" means "impossible to stop or prevent."

Example Question #600 : Identifying Synonyms

Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

HUGE

Possible Answers:

modicum

miniscule

hedonist

gargantuan

lucid

Correct answer:

gargantuan

Explanation:

Both "miniscule" and "modicum" mean a small amount so they are not correct. "Lucid" means clear, and a "hedonist" is someone who lives for pleasure. "Gargantuan" is a synonym for huge.

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