ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Synonyms: Adjectives

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #19 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Timing, Speed, Movement, And Age

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

NOVEL

Possible Answers:

Celebrated

Innovative

Literary

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 #441 : Synonyms

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

PRIMITIVE

Possible Answers:

Man-made

Ancient

Playful

Intellectual

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 #442 : Synonyms

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:

modern

elaborate

youthful

original

ornate

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 #443 : Synonyms

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

CONSECUTIVE

Possible Answers:

Incoherent

Successive

Consensus 

Proclivity 

Comparable 

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 #444 : Synonyms

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 #445 : Synonyms

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

WIZENED

Possible Answers:

Proportional

Continuous

Wise

Smooth

Gnarled

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 #446 : Synonyms

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

PERMANENT

Possible Answers:

Partial

Occasional

Long-lasting

Quick

Delayed

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 #447 : Synonyms

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

URGENT

Possible Answers:

Repetitive

Pressing

Unending

Steady

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 #448 : Synonyms

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

FREQUENT

Possible Answers:

Imaginary

Frantic

Often

Pesky

Unintentional

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 #449 : Synonyms

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

ANNUAL

Possible Answers:

Biweekly

Timely

Weekly

Monthly

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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