ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Synonyms: Adjectives

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #211 : Synonyms: Adjectives

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

OBLIVIOUS

Possible Answers:

Concentrated

Unaware

Unintelligent

Amazing

Lazy

Correct answer:

Unaware

Explanation:

When someone is "oblivious," he or she is totally unaware of something. For instance, we could say, "John was totally oblivious to the fact that his mother was standing right behind him." This means that he didn't know she was there at all! While you might be tempted to think that "unintelligent" is a good synonym for this, the best option is actually "unaware"—as should be obvious, given what is the meaning of "oblivious."

Example Question #551 : Synonyms

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

OBVIOUS

Possible Answers:

Minor

Clear

Delightful

Regular

Foolish

Correct answer:

Clear

Explanation:

When something is "obvious," it doesn't take much work to discover it. For example, your friend might look out the window and say, "There is a world out there." Perhaps, the same friend could tell you, "The leaves are on the outside of the tree." In both of these cases, you can say, "That's obvious!" Thus, we can say that a synonym for "obvious" is "clear." We do use "clear" to describe something that does not need to be explained. Think of when your teacher or parent asks, "Am I clear about this?"  He or she means, "Do you understand me completely?  Is my point now totally obvious?"

Example Question #552 : Synonyms

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

ENLIGHTENING

Possible Answers:

Grammatical

Polar

Scholarly

Informative

Lunar

Correct answer:

Informative

Explanation:

The word "enlightening" comes from the word light, but it is used in a metaphorical sense. It means making something understandable. Think of when we say, "That was an enlightening explanation."It is like the explanation "shines" and makes its topic obvious. The best option for this is "informative," for informative things or actions help to explain something else.

Example Question #553 : Synonyms

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

IGNORANT

Possible Answers:

Failure

Learning

Embarrassed

Studying

Uninformed

Correct answer:

Uninformed

Explanation:

When someone is "ignorant," he or she does not know something. Thus, we can be "ignorant" of someone's name, meaning that we do not know it. Now, when we just say that someone is "ignorant" without any particular reason or explanation, we mean to say that the person is rather ill-informed. He or she is ignorant of things that he or she should know. Therefore, the best option that we have here is "uninformed." This can apply to both senses. None of the other options really express this idea of not knowing something.

Example Question #554 : Synonyms

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

PLANNED

Possible Answers:

Financial

Deliberate

Eliminated

Inexpensive

Arrogant

Correct answer:

Deliberate

Explanation:

When something is "planned out," we actively make sure that we think through the steps involved. "Intentional activity" is this kind of planned activity. Maybe you have heard something like, "He unintentionally bumped into the old man." This means that the person bumped into the old man without planning to do so. To do something intentionally is to plan it out before executing it.

Example Question #555 : Synonyms

What is a synonym for fictional?

Possible Answers:

entertaining

amusing

imaginary

realistic

focused

Correct answer:

imaginary

Explanation:

Fiction is a particular kind of literature.  A fictional story is one that is made up.  This could be a novel or just a short story.  However, what is true of all fiction is that it doesn't repeat facts about reality.   That kind of writing is non-fiction!  The word "fiction" comes from the Latin "to make."   Thus, the best option for "fictional" is "imaginary."

Example Question #556 : Synonyms

A synonym of "singular" is __________.

Possible Answers:

everyday

expected

light

plural

peculiar

Correct answer:

peculiar

Explanation:

"Singular" is an adjective that can mean "exceptionally good or great; remarkable," or "strange and eccentric in some respect." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "remarkable" or "eccentric." Neither "expected" nor "everyday" can be the correct answer, then, because each of these answer choices is an antonym of "eccentric." "Peculiar," however, is an adjective that means "strange or odd; unusual," and because it is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "singular," "peculiar" is the correct answer.

Example Question #557 : Synonyms

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

MAGNIFICENT

Possible Answers:

Splendid

Austere

Frank

Wander

Correct answer:

Splendid

Explanation:

"Magnificent" means exceptional in appearance or amazing. "Splendid" is the best choice because it also means exceptional in appearance. Considering the other choices, "austere" means strict or serious, "wander" means walk without a definite purpose, and "frank" means direct and unreserved in speech.

Example Question #558 : Synonyms

Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.

PATHETIC

Possible Answers:

despondent

hopeful

useless

useful

suspicious

Correct answer:

useless

Explanation:

Pathetic means good for nothing, useless. To further help you, despondent means very sad and without hope; suspicious means showing doubt, acting sneaky.

Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Value, And Rarity

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

DANDY

Possible Answers:

Terrific

Tasteful

Useful

Normal

Correct answer:

Terrific

Explanation:

One of the meanings of "dandy" is excellent. The best choice is "terrific" because it is a synonym of "excellent."

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