ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Adjectives and Adverbs
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Which of the following words best completes the sentence below?
Although Bruce traveled to England last year, he normally takes __________ vacations.
monotonous
expensive
domestic
necessary
lengthy
domestic
While every answer could be gramatically correct, the term "although" suggests a word that is the opposite of, or different from, what is described in the sentence. "Expensive" and "lengthy" are opposites of a trip to England, as a trip to England is likely to be both expensive and lengthy. There is nothing in the sentence to suggest that Bruce's usual trips are or are not necessary or monotonous. "Domestic" is the best choice because traveling to England is an international trip and domestic in this context means "within one's own country."
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The __________ process of photosynthesis converts light into energy used by plants; this process is required for their survival.
vital
minor
complex
difficult
simple
vital
Photosynthesis is needed as a food source for plants and thus, it is a vital or important process.
Example Question #2 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
One of the unique properties of water is that its solid form is less __________ than its liquid form; in other words, liquid water is heavier than ice.
dense
consistent
varied
uniform
lightweight
dense
The unique property of water is that its solid form is less dense than its liquid form (water). This is why ice floats whether in the form of ice cubes in water or an ice layer that covers a pond in the winter.
Example Question #3 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The __________ scheme of pestering their parents with endless questions, hiding in the house, and pretending to still do homework at night was a purposeful delay tactic the two children used so they wouldn't have to go to bed so early.
cautious
thoughtless
straightforward
hasty
elaborate
elaborate
The scheme used to trick their parents every night was well thought out and detailed or elaborate. They needed to think up several ways to delay the process of going to bed early.
Example Question #1 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Brad's _____ use of everyday materials such as styrofoam and cardboard made his science project innovative and worthy of a high mark.
ingenious
superficial
marked
excessive
clear
ingenious
Since Brad used everyday items to create his science project, it means that he was resourceful and ingenious or clever in his use of the materials.
Example Question #2 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The _____ pain caused her to wince and cry out due to its severity.
benign
caustic
acute
lenient
atypical
acute
In terms of this sentence, the best way to approach the sentence is to look at the context. Since it mentions the severity of the pain, it is most likely acute or intense pain.
Example Question #3 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The _____ details of structure and organization are far less important than the broader scope of the proposal which analyzes how to raise funds for poverty initiatives, scientific research, and environmental welfare.
significant
consequential
manifold
compulsory
petty
petty
Since the content of the paper is the main focus, the details of grammatical organization are petty or trivial in comparison.
Example Question #4 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Hibernating animals are inactive and---during the winter season.
alert
social
occupied
dormant
solitary
dormant
The best answer choice is dormant since it means inactive; a hibernating animal is indeed dormant during the winter.
Example Question #5 : Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The strong and---smell filled the entire kitchen with the scent of garlic.
clean
acidic
faint
musty
pungent
pungent
Since the scent of garlic readily filled the entire room, it indicates that the scent was strong and pungent.
Example Question #6 : Adjectives And Adverbs
The construction workers have to wear hard hats around the building site because it is __________; bricks or other materials could fall from a great height and potentially injure someone if they're not wearing protective gear.
quiet
practiced
finished
hazardous
safe
hazardous
Because we know that "bricks or other materials could fall from a great height and potentially injure someone," we can infer that we need to pick out a word that means something like "dangerous" to describe the construction site. "Safe" means the opposite of "dangerous," so it cannot be the correct answer, but "hazardous" means "risky; dangerous." Because "hazardous" best fits the sentence's context, "hazardous" is the correct answer.
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