All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Verbs About Emotional Changes
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DETEST
Dislike
Abhor
Disapprove
Forget
Destroy
Abhor
When someone detests another person or thing, he or she does not merely dislike it but instead has an intense hatred for it. For that reason, the weaker answer choices like “dislike” and “disapprove” do not really capture the sense as does “abhor.” Someone “abhors” something or someone when he or she is disgusted by it or has a strong hatred for it.
Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Verbs About Emotional Changes
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PLACATE
Soothe
Supplant
Regress
Exacerbate
Eradicate
Soothe
“Placate” means assuage, or give someone what they want to make them feel better, so "soothe" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, “exacerbate” means make worse, intensify, or heighten; “eradicate” means completely destroy; “supplant” means replace; and “regress” means go backwards or return to a former state.
Example Question #551 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MOURN
Lament
Bellow
Pity
Whine
Embalm
Lament
To "mourn" something means to express sadness regarding that thing. Now, do not be tempted by options like "bellow" (meaning, to shout loudly) or "whine." Although the mourning person may make various kinds of sounds, the essence of mourning is being sad. To "lament" something, however, is to express one's sadness just like someone mourning. This is a good synonym, given the options.
Example Question #552 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMPAIR
Vex
Weaken
Fortify
Renounce
Postulate
Weaken
“Impair” means weaken, damage, or have a negative effect on. "Fortify” means reinforce and make more secure; "postulate” means posit, or state an unsupported point to consider as the start of a hypothetical argument; "renounce" means swear off one's association with; and "vex" means annoy.
Example Question #553 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FORSAKE
Satire
Desert
Patronize
Slander
Preempt
Desert
“Forsake” means desert or renounce. “Preempt” means to act in advance of something else in order to stop that thing from occurring; “slander” means say bad, false things about something to damage their reputation; “satire” means mock something by adopting its style in a humorous way; and “patronize” means interact with in a condescending manner.
Example Question #554 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EXONERATE
Acquit
Postulate
Condemn
Prosecute
Convict
Acquit
“Exonerate” means release from blame, free from guilt in court, or "acquit." As for the other answer choices, “condemn” means heavily criticize or punish; “convict," when used as a verb, means demonstrate in court that someone committed a crime; “prosecute” means start legal action against someone; and “postulate” means posit.
Example Question #555 : Synonyms
Each synonyms question is made up of a word in capital letters followed by five choices. Choose the one word that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SUCCUMB:
sanction
yield
appease
concur
acquiesce
yield
If someone succumbs, it means they yield or surrender; an example is succumbing in battle.
Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Other Verbs
Choose the best synonym for the word in capital letters.
AMELIORATE
quiet
improve
provoke
grind
improve
Ameliorate means to make better or improve.
Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Other Verbs
Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
USURP
truncate
settle
seize
abolish
donate
seize
"Usurp" means to take without permission. "Truncate" is incorrect because it means to reduce, "donate" means to give away, and abolish means to get rid of. "Seize" is the only possible answer choice, which means to take.
Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Other Verbs
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
OBVIATE
pulverize
preclude
quip
ruffle
scrutinize
preclude
"Obviate" and "preclude" both mean to make unnecessary. "Pulverize" means to smash or destroy. "Quip" means to make a witty remark or retort. "Ruffle" means to upset or irritate. "Scrutinize" means to examine closely.
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All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
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