Synonyms: Determining Part of Speech - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

When used as a noun, "fashion" can mean currently popular clothing styles, but when used as a verb, it means create out of specific parts or "make." "Destroy" means ruin, demolish, or annihilate; “yell” means shout; and “whisper” means speak quietly so as not to be heard by anyone apart from the person(s) to whom you are talking.

For this question, your habits might help you get it correct very quickly. Perhaps you have heard the expression "loot and plunder." These words are synonyms. When used as verbs, they mean to steal, usually in the midst of wartime. As nouns, they just refer to what is stolen. Thus, you can say, "The pirate plundered his captives," but you could also say, "The pirate looted his captives."

This question is using "field" in a way that you might not recognize at first glance. The word does indeed indicate a kind of physical field in which grass (and other things) might be found. The word can also be used as a verb. In this sense, we say things such as, "He fielded questions regarding the event." This means that the person received and answered the questions. (This is somewhat like a baseball catcher being in the field and catching balls—though, in this case, the "balls" are questions!)

The word "parcel" has several meanings. It can be a noun indicating a package. It can also be a noun indicating some portion of a larger thing, as when we talk about a "parcel of land." In this latter way of speaking, the word can also be used as a verb meaning to divide up. It is in this sense that it is being used in this question, for none of the other options directly answer to one of the other meanings of "parcel."

"Buff" is a word that can take on a variety of meanings; as an adjective, it can mean " a yellowish-beige color" or, more informally, "being in good physical shape with fine muscle tone." As a verb, "buff" can mean "polish something." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "yellow," "in good physical shape," or "polish something." "Polish" is an answer choice, and because it is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "buff," "polish" is the correct answer.

"Maroon" is a verb that means "leave someone trapped and isolated in an inaccessible place, especially an island." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "abandon." "Rescue," then, cannot be the correct answer because "rescue" is an antonym of "maroon." "Strand," however, when used as a verb, means either "drive or leave a boat, sailor, or sea creature aground on a shore," or "leave someone without the means to move from somewhere." Because "strand" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "maroon," "strand" is the correct answer.

"Anchor"means to secure firmly in position.

"Medium," when used as a noun, can mean " the intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed to the senses or a force acts on objects at a distance," "the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer," or "a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead and the living." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "an intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed," "the material or form used by an artist," or "a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead." While a medium might claim to be in contact with a spirit, "medium" does not mean "spirit," so "spirit" cannot be the correct answer. "Material," however, is synonymous with "the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer," and because "material" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "medium," "material" is the correct answer.

When used as an adjective, "exact" means precise, but when used as a verb, "exact" means impose, compel, or take from. So, it is closest in meaning to "extract," a verb that means to take. "Impoverished" (lacking money; poor) might be a consequence of having a fee exacted, but is not a synonym of "exact," while "unavoidable" (not able to be avoided) is unrelated in meaning. "Imprecise," which means not precise or sloppy, is an antonym of "exact" when "exact" is used as an adjective; "inimitable," which means incomparable or unequal, is also dissimilar in meaning to "exact."

Don't get the verb confused with the noun: when used as a verb, "jar" means send a painful and damaging shock. "Shake" is the best match, because "shake" can mean shock, distress, or discompose.

There are a couple meanings of "gorge" that you may be familiar with, both of which derive from an old French word meaning "throat." As a noun, a gorge is a narrow pass, often between mountains. Since our synonym options here are verbs, though, we need to use the verb "gorge," which means to consume greedily. The most literal sense would involve eating (filling your "throat"), though you can also gorge (or stuff) yourself metaphorically with things like knowledge or a movie marathon.

To "extract" means to remove, so "remove" is the correct answer. To help you, to "imply" means to suggest without directly stating, to "founder" means to struggle and sink, and an "impasse" is a deadlock.

The word "extract" literally means pull out. The prefix "ex-" should be familiar, for it is used in words like "exit" (go out) and "exhume" (dig a body out of the ground). The "-tract" portion comes from the Latin for to pull. It is related to the word "tractor"—a farm vehicle that pulls large machinery. Therefore, to "extract" means pull out. Among the options provided, "remove" is the best synonym for "extract." Sometimes, we use the word "extract" to describe how someone can "pull out" a selection of text from a larger work. This smaller section is "extracted" and is sometimes called an "extract." However, do not be fooled into thinking that "write" or "edit" mean the same thing as such textual extraction!

The word "minute" is often used as a noun meaning the amount of time in one-sixtieth of an hour; however, it can also be used as an adjective meaning tiny, insignificant, or meticulous. While the noun's association with time may have led you to pick "timely" or "divided" as the answer, it's important to realize that none of the answer choices are nouns, so "minute" is not being used as a noun. "Small" is the best answer choice.

"Buff" is a word that can take on a variety of meanings; as an adjective, it can mean " a yellowish-beige color" or, more informally, "being in good physical shape with fine muscle tone." As a verb, "buff" can mean "polish something." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "yellow," "in good physical shape," or "polish something." "Polish" is an answer choice, and because it is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "buff," "polish" is the correct answer.

"Maroon" is a verb that means "leave someone trapped and isolated in an inaccessible place, especially an island." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "abandon." "Rescue," then, cannot be the correct answer because "rescue" is an antonym of "maroon." "Strand," however, when used as a verb, means either "drive or leave a boat, sailor, or sea creature aground on a shore," or "leave someone without the means to move from somewhere." Because "strand" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "maroon," "strand" is the correct answer.

"Anchor"means to secure firmly in position.

"Medium," when used as a noun, can mean " the intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed to the senses or a force acts on objects at a distance," "the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer," or "a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead and the living." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "an intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed," "the material or form used by an artist," or "a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead." While a medium might claim to be in contact with a spirit, "medium" does not mean "spirit," so "spirit" cannot be the correct answer. "Material," however, is synonymous with "the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer," and because "material" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "medium," "material" is the correct answer.

When used as an adjective, "exact" means precise, but when used as a verb, "exact" means impose, compel, or take from. So, it is closest in meaning to "extract," a verb that means to take. "Impoverished" (lacking money; poor) might be a consequence of having a fee exacted, but is not a synonym of "exact," while "unavoidable" (not able to be avoided) is unrelated in meaning. "Imprecise," which means not precise or sloppy, is an antonym of "exact" when "exact" is used as an adjective; "inimitable," which means incomparable or unequal, is also dissimilar in meaning to "exact."