ISEE Lower Level Verbal : ISEE Lower Level (grades 5-6) Verbal Reasoning

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #295 : Sentence Completions

Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

In order to __________ her brother in the game of hide and seek, Lena strategized beforehand.

Possible Answers:

outrun

interrupt

outwit

placate

disappoint

Correct answer:

outwit

Explanation:

Lena wants to win the game of hide and seek and therefore wants to deceive or outwit her brother.

Example Question #296 : Sentence Completions

Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

In order to---that she would do well on the exam, Theresa diligently studied the course material.

Possible Answers:

confirm

arrange

facilitate

ensure

prevent

Correct answer:

ensure

Explanation:

In this sentence, the key is finding the best answer choice; in this case, she wants to ensure or make sure she does well on the exam, therefore she extensively studies for the exam.

Example Question #297 : Sentence Completions

Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

In order to---herself from the sun and keep herself from getting a sunburn, she wore a wide-brimmed sun hat at the beach.

Possible Answers:

bask

defend

avert

indulge

shield

Correct answer:

shield

Explanation:

The only accurate choice among the answer choices is shield since it means to protect.  Since she doesn't want a sunburn, she needs to shield herself from the sun.

Example Question #298 : Sentence Completions

Because people think that Judy so closely __________ a famous movie star, she is often stopped and asked for autographs because people mistake her for her famous counterpart.

Possible Answers:

limits

despises

studies

resembles

calls

Correct answer:

resembles

Explanation:

We can infer that we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "looks like," because Judy is often "asked for autographs because people mistake her for her famous counterpart." "Resembles" is a verb which means "has qualities or features, especially those of appearance, in common with someone or something; looks or seems like." "Resembles" is the correct answer because it best fits the context of the sentence.

Example Question #299 : Sentence Completions

Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. The blank indicates that a word is missing. Each sentence is followed by five choices. Select the word(s) that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

The lion, a fierce predator, ---the forest for prey.

Possible Answers:

ambled through

prowled

lingered in

crossed

strode

Correct answer:

prowled

Explanation:

Since the lion was looking for prey, it means that it prowled the forest for prey.

Example Question #300 : Sentence Completions

When the student realized that he forgot his homework at home, he __________ a story that involved the wind blowing his completed homework out of his hands on the way to school, several trucks running over it in the road, and then a pack of wild wolves tearing its pages apart; needless to say, his teacher didn't believe him.

Possible Answers:

disposed of

iterated

concocted

entangled

erased

Correct answer:

concocted

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that the student made up the story about how his homework got lost, so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "made up" or "invented" and can refer to stories. While "iterated" may look like a potentially correct answer because it can have to do with speech, "iterate" means "perform or utter repeatedly," so it doesn't fit the context of the sentence because we aren't told that the student repeated his story. So, "iterated" cannot be the correct answer. "Concocted," however, means "created or devised," and is specifically used of stories or plans. Because "concocted" is the answer choice that best describes the student making up the story and best fits the context of the sentence, "concocted" is the correct answer.

Example Question #301 : Sentence Completions

The child __________ her security blanket and took it with her wherever she went, snuggling it every so often to convey how much she treasured it.

Possible Answers:

provided

despised

repurposed

limited

cherished

Correct answer:

cherished

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that the child really liked her security blanket, because she "took it wherever she went" and "snuggl[ed] it every so often to convey how much she treasured it." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb that means something like "treasured." "Despised" cannot be the correct answer, then, because despised means "felt contempt or a deep repugnance for," making it an antonym of "treasured." "Cherished," however, is a verb that can mean "hold something dear," and because "cherished" is the answer choice that best describes the child's attachment to her security blanket, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #302 : Sentence Completions

The spy managed to __________ the secrets out of the governor by flattering him.

Possible Answers:

focus

sing

support

wheedle

export

Correct answer:

wheedle

Explanation:

We need to pick out a word that means something like "coax," because we know that the spy used flattery to get the governor to tell him the secrets. "Wheedle" is a verb that means "employ endearments or flattery to persuade someone to do something or give one something," and when used with an object ("wheedle something out of") like in the sentence, "coax or persuade someone to say or give something." Of the possible answer choices, "wheedle" best describes how the spy used flattery to obtain the secrets from the governor, so "wheedle" is the correct answer.

Example Question #303 : Sentence Completions

The jetpack __________ the stuntman high into the sky, and straight into a cloud.

Possible Answers:

sank

waited

propelled

encroached

kept

Correct answer:

propelled

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that we need to pick out an answer choice that describes movement and means something like "flew" or "took," because the stuntman's jetpack takes him "high into the sky, and straight into a cloud." So, "sank" cannot be the correct answer, because while it describes movement, "sank" specifically describes downward movement, which wouldn't make sense in the sentence's context. "Propelled," however, is a verb that means "drove, pushed, or caused to move in a particular direction, typically forward," and because "propelled" best describes the how the stuntman's jetpack caused him to move into the sky, "propelled" is the correct answer.

Example Question #304 : Sentence Completions

Part of the janitor's job is to __________ the physical appearance of the building, and includes tasks like watering the flowers, mowing the front lawn, and removing weeds from the stone path.

Possible Answers:

ruin

maintain

egress

quantify

partition

Correct answer:

maintain

Explanation:

We know that the janitor's job involves "tasks like watering the flowers, mowing the front lawn, and removing weeds from the stone path," so we can infer that he keeps the building in good condition. So, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "keep in good condition." That means that "ruin" cannot be the correct answer, because "ruin" is an antonym of "keep in good condition." "Maintain," however, is a verb that means "keep (a building, machine, or road) in good condition or in working order by checking or repairing it regularly," and because "maintain" best describes the janitor's job, "maintain" is the correct answer.

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