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 #81 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence. 

It’s not often I feel __________ on the day of a big test, but I studied so hard last night that there’s no way I can fail!

Possible Answers:

anxious

menacing

threatening

apprehensive

confident

Correct answer:

confident

Explanation:

The sentence suggests that the author feels very sure of his/her success. When someone is sure of themselves, we call them confident. To further help you, apprehensive and anxious are synonyms that both mean worried; menacing and threatening are synonyms that both mean intending to cause harm or scary.

Example Question #82 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence. 

The coach was frustrated by Jenna’s __________ attempts and wanted her to try harder.

Possible Answers:

menacing

lackadaisical

bemusing

absurd

whimsical

Correct answer:

lackadaisical

Explanation:

The sentence tells us that Jenna’s coach thought she was not trying hard enough; this suggests that Jenna’s attempts were lazy or not good enough. The answer choice that most closely resembles lazy is “lackadaisical,” which means half-hearted, lazy. To further help you, "bemusing" means confusing; "whimsical" means silly; "menacing" means scary or threatening; "absurd" means ridiculous or silly.

Example Question #83 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence. 

Be careful not to drop that glass vase; it is very __________!

Possible Answers:

sturdy

fragile

miniscule

tall

robust

Correct answer:

fragile

Explanation:

The context of the sentence suggests that the correct answer means easily broken. Something that is easily broken is described as “fragile.” To further help you, "robust" and "sturdy" are antonyms of "fragile" and both mean firm and strong; "miniscule" means very small.

Example Question #452 : Parts Of Speech In Word Based Sentence Completions

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence. 

The wealthy man was beloved in his home town because he always gave __________ of his time and money.

Possible Answers:

begrudgingly

miserly

generously

smoothly

jaggedly

Correct answer:

generously

Explanation:

The sentence suggests that the wealthy man was loved because of his willingness to share his time and money. To be "generous" means to be giving; "generously" means kindly or liberally. To further help you, when you give something "begrudgingly" you give it without wanting to; "miserly" means not charitable; "smoothly" means not bumpy, without imperfections; "jaggedly" means sharply. "Smoothly" and "jaggedly" are antonyms. 

Example Question #84 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Hercules is a mythical character known for many __________ deeds, but did you know he was a talented singer as well?

Possible Answers:

heroic

malicious

vengeful

normal

wanton

Correct answer:

heroic

Explanation:

Hercules is a mythical hero. Someone who does things that a hero would do is called "heroic," so "heroic" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices make sense in the sentence: "malicious" means evil; "vengeful" means seeking revenge; and "wanton" means random.

Example Question #85 : Adjectives And Adverbs

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

My friend just got my favorite type of car; I feel very __________.

Possible Answers:

sad

envious

jubilant

despondent

happy

Correct answer:

envious

Explanation:

We call the feeling of desiring something that someone has and that you want "envy" or "jealousy," so when my friend purchased my favorite car I felt "envious."  As for the other answer choices, "despondent" means feeling sad and hopeless, and "jubilant" means happy.

Example Question #455 : Parts Of Speech In Word Based Sentence Completions

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

It is quite __________ how whales are able to communicate with one another over thousands of miles of ocean; nothing like it is found anywhere else in the animal kingdom.

Possible Answers:

angry

mundane

irate

extraordinary

banal

Correct answer:

extraordinary

Explanation:

The second clause of the sentence tells us that the ability of whales to communicate over thousands of miles of oceans is not common, or beyond ordinary. This means that the correct answer is "extraordinary," which means amazing or out of the ordinary. None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: "mundane" and "banal" are synonyms of one another and both mean boring; "mundane" and "banal" are also antonyms of extraordinary. Also, "irate" means angry.

Example Question #456 : Parts Of Speech In Word Based Sentence Completions

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

I compared my autographed photo of that movie star to images on the internet and they were all completely different; obviously mine is __________.

Possible Answers:

genuine

authentic

bogus

ceremonial

sanctimonious

Correct answer:

bogus

Explanation:

The author’s autograph is totally different from all other copies; this suggests it is fake or not real. The answer choice that matches this definition is “bogus.” To provide further help, “authentic” and “genuine” both mean real and are antonyms of “fake” or “bogus.” “Ceremonial” means done for purposes of tradition or ceremony, and “sanctimonious” means self-righteous

Example Question #457 : Parts Of Speech In Word Based Sentence Completions

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Jimmy’s mother was worried that her son was not eating enough because his clothes were too big for him and he looked terribly __________

Possible Answers:

gaunt

comely

lilliputian

corpulent

nostalgic

Correct answer:

gaunt

Explanation:

Jimmy’s mother is worried that her son is not eating; this suggests he looks terribly skinny. The answer choice that describes the physical appearance of someone who is skinny and not eating enough is “gaunt.” To provide further help, “comely” means cute, “nostalgic” means having a fond memory of the past, “corpulent” means fat and is an antonym of “gaunt”, and “lilliputian” means very tiny.

Example Question #458 : Parts Of Speech In Word Based Sentence Completions

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

Gary was bitten by a spider and knew he had to take immediate and __________ action. 

Possible Answers:

unhurried

frivolous

measured

sluggish

drastic

Correct answer:

drastic

Explanation:

From the context of the sentence, you know that Gary needs to take “immediate” and something like “immediate” action. The correct answer is “drastic,” which means quick and desperate. To provide further help, “sluggish” means lacking energy, “measured” means deliberate or calculated, “unhurried” means not in a rush and is an antonym of “drastic," and “frivolous” means wasted or pointless.

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