All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1151 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Because the school pizza party was cancelled, the family ________________.
did not like snow
liked chocolate
ordered pizza at home
walked the dog
had four children
ordered pizza at home
Although all of the choices would make a complete sentence, the choice "ordered pizza at home," makes the most sense because it has to do with what happened in the beginning of the sentence. The other choices have no connection to the pizza party being cancelled, so do not make as much sense.
Example Question #1152 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
One of the great ______________ of wind energy is that it creates no pollutants.
troubles
worries
benefits
obstacles
tragedies
benefits
Using the context clues of the sentence where it says, "creates no pollutants." we can predict that the missing word should be something good or positive. The only positive choice is "benefits." The rest of the words would not make sense in the sentence because they would suggest that the wind power is doing something negative.
Example Question #1153 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Fill in the blank.
The teacher generally wished for each day to be unique and exciting, but sometimes she welcomed a little bit of __________.
amusement
variety
monotony
distinctiveness
anticipation
monotony
Let's divide this sentence into two parts. First, we're told that the teacher usually wanted her days to be "unique and exciting." However, the conjunction "but" lets us know that we're looking for the opposite. In other words, sometimes the teacher looks forward to days that are not unique or exciting. Of the answer choices, a little bit of "variety" is similar to uniqueness; "distinctiveness" can be eliminated for the same reason. Even "amusement" is too close in meaning to "excitement," so we are left with "monotony," a word that refers to repetition of tedious or boring tasks. So, the teacher generally wished for excitement, but occasionally looked forward to a dull or "monotonous" day.
Example Question #1154 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
When she was not working at her job, Cecilia liked to spend her ___________ time playing the piano.
leisure
busy
development
concentrated
permitted
leisure
Notice the nature of the contrast. The sentence is contrasting Cecelia's time at work with the other time that she has. Our "leisure time" is our free time—when we can do what we want because we want to do it. Since leisure time best contrasts with being at work, this is the best answer for this question.
Example Question #1152 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The student, having an excess of nervous energy, was __________ and paced around his bedroom all night, unable to fall asleep.
restless
busy
unhappy
frustrated
happy
restless
In this sentence, it is made clear that the student has an excess of energy and as a result is pacing about his room. This indicates that he is "restless," meaning that he is not able to relax himself. "Restless" is therefore the best way to complete this sentence.
Example Question #1 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Andrea loves to dance because it __________ her, making her feel alive and full of energy.
mystifies
challenges
helps
invigorates
bothers
invigorates
In this sentence, the clue words as to what to fill the blank with are "making her feel alive and full of energy." The word that goes in the blank should have a meaning similar to this. "Invigorates" means to inspire or give one a lot of energy or passion. Therefore, "invigorates" is the correct answer.
Example Question #61 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The smell of blue cheese is very __________, often masking any other aromas that may be in a room.
unusual
subtle
mysterious
pungent
negative
pungent
When a smell masks other aromas, it does so because of its intensity. The best word that conveys the intensity of a smell is "pungent." Something that is "pungent" has an aroma that is very strong and prevents other scents from being detected.
Example Question #62 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Marshall was __________ to discover that he scored poorly on his math exam, given that he had studied extensively and done very well on practice tests.
shocked
horrified
outraged
unimpressed
annoyed
shocked
Given the context of the sentence, we know that Marshall had studied a lot for his test, and scored well on practice exams, but still scored poorly. This difference between his expectations and reality would cause him to be very surprised, or "shocked." While he might be upset, the words "outraged" and "horrified" are too strong, and "annoyed" is too weak. "Unimpressed" is not appropriate. Therefore, "surprised" is the best answer.
Example Question #5 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Jonathan bought a car, which he has to pay off in _____, paying a certain amount of money every month until the balance is paid off.
struggles
installments
credit
labor
cash
installments
Here, given that Jonathan is going to pay off his car every month, he is paying it off piece by piece. To pay something off in installments means to pay something off incrementally, one portion at a time. Therefore, installments is the correct answer.
Example Question #6 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Jeff is rather _____; it takes him ten minutes to tell a story that most people can tell in two minutes.
adventurous
generous
exciting
long-winded
happy
long-winded
Long-winded means to talk at length in a tedious way. Given that Jeff takes ten minutes to tell a story that most people could tell in a fraction of that time, the best word to fill the blank would be one that indicates he takes a long time to tell his story. Long-winded is therefore the best fit.
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