ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Adjectives and Adverbs

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #201 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Our house is __________ with rats, so my dad went to the pet store to buy a cat.

Possible Answers:

determined

mistaken

resulted

infested

devoid

Correct answer:

infested

Explanation:

When you have a large number of pests, it is called an “infestation.” So a house with lots of rats (that are not pets) in it is said to be “infested” with rats. The word “determined” means really wanting and working hard to do something; “mistaken” means incorrectly understood or wrong; and "devoid" (used in the phrase "devoid of") means lacking completely or having none of.

Example Question #202 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Anna had never been to a play before, and so seeing a theatrical performance live at a big theatre was a _________ experience for her.

Possible Answers:

unusual 

novel 

typical

fun 

stale

Correct answer:

novel 

Explanation:

Given that Anna had never before seen a play before, the experience would best be described as something new and special. This is what "novel" means, and so it is the correct answer. A tempting wrong answer is "unusual." However, this is not the right answer because it does not capture the specialness of the experience for Anna.

Example Question #203 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Jessica and Joey get along so well; their conversations are always __________, and you can tell they love each other very much.

Possible Answers:

normal 

harmonious

challenging

egregious

combative

Correct answer:

harmonious

Explanation:

This sentence describes a happy and loving connection between Jessica and Joey. The word that would best complete this sentence would be one that conveys this love and happiness. The best word for this would be "harmonious," which is therefore the correct answer.

Example Question #1811 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The night was lit up by fireflies, alight with the __________ flashes emitted from their abdomens.

Possible Answers:

fluorescent

gray

electric

muddy

dark

Correct answer:

fluorescent

Explanation:

The correct answer will be an adjective that best describes the light emitted by a firefly. "Fluorescent" means luminescent and bright. This describes the light put out by a firefly well, and so it is the correct answer.

Example Question #1812 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The tiger exhibited __________ behavior, clawing at the gate and snarling.

Possible Answers:

playful

friendly

sleepy

aggressive

content

Correct answer:

aggressive

Explanation:

In this sentence, the tiger is snarling and clawing at the gate, behaviors that exhibit the expression of antagonism and aggression. The other answer choices fail to convey the negative sentiments that the tiger is displaying. Therefore, "aggressive" is the best answer.

Example Question #204 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

I wish I had not eaten all that food before going swimming; my stomach hurts, and it is not smart to be active when you are feeling __________.

Possible Answers:

queasy

remorseful

suspicious

frightened

serene

Correct answer:

queasy

Explanation:

You are looking for an answer choice that describes someone whose "stomach hurts" after eating too much. This should lead you to the correct answer, which is “queasy.” If you are feeling “queasy,” you feel like you are going to throw up. To provide further help, “frightened” means scared; “serene” means quiet and peaceful; someone who is “remorseful” feels sad or guilty for something bad they have done; and something “suspicious” is something that looks out of place or could cause trouble, though it has not yet started to do so.

Example Question #205 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

The windows of the spooky old mansion were so dusty that they were __________, preventing anyone from seeing inside.

Possible Answers:

bubbly

suspicious

wordy

opaque

transparent

Correct answer:

opaque

Explanation:

We can infer that because "the windows . . . were so dusty that they . . . prevent[ed] anyone from seeing inside," we need to pick out an adjective to describe the dusty windows that means something like "not clear." That means that "transparent" cannot be the correct answer, because "transparent" means "of a material or article: allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen," making it an antonym, not a synonym, of "not clear." "Opaque," however, is an adjective that means "not able to be seen through; not transparent," and because "opaque" best describes the dusty windows that no one can see through, "opaque" is the correct answer.

Example Question #206 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Bobby was accused of losing the keys, but he did not actually lose them; he was __________.

Possible Answers:

convicted

innocent

disengaged

shy

guilty

Correct answer:

innocent

Explanation:

If Bobby did not lose the keys, he would be innocent of the accusations, so "innocent" is the correct answer. "Guilty" is the opposite of the word for which we're looking. The sentence tells us nothing about whether or not Bobby is "convicted" or "shy," and "disengaged" means disinterested, which also makes no sense.

Example Question #207 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Mikayla felt __________ when she found out that her best friend, Blair, told the entire school about an extremely embarrassing incident that happened to her last week.

Possible Answers:

confident

betrayed

helped

elated

Correct answer:

betrayed

Explanation:

We need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "let down" or "exposed" because the sentence tells us that Blair told the whole school about Mikayla's embarrassing incident. So, "betrayed," an adjective that means double-crossed or revealed information one promised to keep secret, is the correct answer choice because it best fits the sentence's context. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank space: "elated" means very happy; "confident" means self-assured; and "helped" means assisted.

Example Question #208 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

The weather outside was very gray and cloudy, which made me feel rather __________.

Possible Answers:

devastated

glum

happy

excited

confused

Correct answer:

glum

Explanation:

Gray, cloudy weather often makes people feel gloomy, which is the same as feeling "morose," because "glum" means gloomy and sad.

"Happy" and "excited" are opposites of the word for which we're looking, and "confused" doesn't make sense either. "Devastated" is too strong of a word for this sentence, as it means feeling extreme grief or shock; we don't have enough information here to conclude that the speaker is "devastated."

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