ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Synonyms: Adjectives

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #101 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

NOVEL

Possible Answers:

Innovative

Literary

Celebrated

Puzzling

Correct answer:

Innovative

Explanation:

In this question, the word "novel" is being used as an adjective, meaning new or inventive. The only word with a similar meaning is "innovative," which means original or new. "Celebrated" means renowned, while "literary" means having to do with literature or reading, and was meant to throw you off if you had only seen the stem word as a noun (meaning a book-length work of fiction) rather than as an adjective. "Puzzling" means confusing or perplexing.

Example Question #102 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

PRIMITIVE

Possible Answers:

Intellectual

Ancient

Playful

Man-made

Sophisticated

Correct answer:

Ancient

Explanation:

Primitive means having to do with the early history of the world or of humanity, or simple and relatively undeveloped. "Ancient" means extremely old, so "ancient" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "primitive."

Example Question #103 : Synonyms: Adjectives

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.

PRIMITIVE:

Possible Answers:

elaborate

original

youthful

ornate

modern

Correct answer:

original

Explanation:

A good example using the word primitive is to describe cooking tools used by early man.  These tools were primitive and were originally used by man to cook.

Example Question #104 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CONSECUTIVE

Possible Answers:

Consensus 

Incoherent

Comparable 

Successive

Proclivity 

Correct answer:

Successive

Explanation:

“Consecutive” means occurring in order, one after the other. This is closest in meaning to “successive.” To provide further help, “incoherent” means not able to be understood; “comparable” means able to be compared, similar; “consensus” means agreement; “proclivity” means tendency of doing something.

Example Question #105 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ABRUPT

Possible Answers:

Outlandish

Miserable

Circumstantial

Sudden 

Dogmatic 

Correct answer:

Sudden 

Explanation:

“Abrupt” means sudden and unexpected. To provide further help, “outlandish” means bizarre, peculiar, or strange; “dogmatic” means bound by strict, inflexible rules; “miserable” means very sad; “circumstantial” means owed to circumstance, owed to chance.

Example Question #106 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

WIZENED

Possible Answers:

Gnarled

Continuous

Proportional

Smooth

Wise

Correct answer:

Gnarled

Explanation:

"Wizened" means dry, shrunken, and wrinkled due to being old, so "gnarled," an adjective that means twisted and rough due to age, is the correct answer.

Example Question #107 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PERMANENT

Possible Answers:

Long-lasting

Partial

Quick

Delayed

Occasional

Correct answer:

Long-lasting

Explanation:

Something "permanent" will remain a certain way for a long time. The other answer choices have meanings as follows: "partial" means only a part of something; "delayed" means late; and "occasional" means occurring infrequently.

Example Question #108 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

URGENT

Possible Answers:

Pressing

Repetitive

Steady

Unending

Meager

Correct answer:

Pressing

Explanation:

"Urgent" means pressing or immediate, so "pressing" is the correct answer. "Urgent" has a meaning different from that of "repetitive," which means tedious due to repetition,"steady," which means unvarying or consistent; and "unending," which means not having an end or lasting for a very long time.

Example Question #109 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

FREQUENT

Possible Answers:

Imaginary

Unintentional

Pesky

Often

Frantic

Correct answer:

Often

Explanation:

Something that happens “frequently” happens often, so "frequent" means "often." The word “pesky” means troublesome, like “a pesky wasp”; and “frantic” means hurried or rushed due to being very worried about something. 

Example Question #110 : Synonyms: Adjectives

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ANNUAL

Possible Answers:

Monthly

Biweekly

Weekly

Timely

Yearly

Correct answer:

Yearly

Explanation:

"Annual" comes from the Latin word for year, so it makes sense that "annual" means happening yearly. This means that "yearly" is the correct answer. Something that happens “biweekly” happens every two weeks, as the prefix "bi-" means two, and "timely" means well-timed and convenient.

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