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 #1741 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Scientists have yet to determine what killed off all the dinosaurs, but have come up with several theories to explain what drove them to suddenly become __________.

Possible Answers:

omnivorous

organic

archaic

extinct

extant

Correct answer:

extinct

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that we need to pick out an adjective that can describe organisms that have “all” been “killed off.” While both “extinct” and “extant” might look like potentially correct answers because they look and sound similar, “extant” is an adjective that is used especially to describe a document and means still in existence. This is clearly an antonym of the word we’re looking for, so “extant” cannot be the correct answer. “Extinct,” however, is an adjective that can mean no longer in existence; so, because “extinct” best describes the dinosaurs after they were all killed off by something, “extinct” is the correct answer.

Example Question #1742 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Snowstorms __________ occur in the tropics because the weather down there is consistently warmer than it is in areas farther north, so they experience rainstorms and snowstorms are extremely rare.

Possible Answers:

usually

occasionally

seldom

always

sometimes

Correct answer:

seldom

Explanation:

We know from the sentence that "snowstorms are extremely rare" in the tropics, so we need to pick out an adverb that means something like "rarely" to describe the interval at which they occur in the tropics. So, neither "always" and "usually" can be the correct answer, because each of those words is an antonym of "rarely." "Seldom," however, is an adverb that means rarely, and because it best fits the context of the sentence, "seldom" is the correct answer.

Example Question #1743 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Though all of the flowers smelled wonderful, Susanna thought that the hyacinths were the most __________.

Possible Answers:

rank

tasty

fetid

charismatic

fragrant

Correct answer:

fragrant

Explanation:

Because the sentence is comparative and begins, "Though all of the flowers smelled wonderful," we can infer that we need to pick out a word that means smelling good. While "fragrant," "rank," and "fetid" all describe smells, "rank" and "fetid" describe disgusting smells, so they wouldn't make sense in the sentence, comparing hyacinths to other "flowers [that] smelled wonderful." "Fragrant," however, is an adjective that means having a nice smell, and because "fragrant" best describes the smell of a flower, "fragrant" is the correct answer.

Example Question #1744 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Fill in the blank with the word that best completes the sentence.

In order to absorb the information presented during class, it is important to be __________.

Possible Answers:

hard-working

outgoing

distracted

careful

attentive

Correct answer:

attentive

Explanation:

Students should be "attentive," or paying attention, if they want to absorb the material taught during class. "Careful" means cautious; "outgoing" means friendly and extroverted; and "distracted" means not fully paying attention to something.

Example Question #1745 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

For summer vacation, my family chose to go __________ rather than to stay in the United States.

Possible Answers:

abroad

campaign

perish

plummet

intercept

Correct answer:

abroad

Explanation:

In this sentence, the blank should include a word that describes the opposite of staying in the United States. The word that would make the most sense in the blank is "abroad," which means in a foreign country. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank: "campaign" means run for a political position, like for president; "intercept" means interrupt; "perish" means die; and, "plummet" means sharply decrease.

Example Question #1746 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Sentence Completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.

The audience was __________ that Larry did not receive the Presidential Award because his victory was believed to be definite.

Possible Answers:

shocked

ecstatic

tired

annoyed

Correct answer:

shocked

Explanation:

We need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "surprised" or "confused" because the sentence tells us that the audience thought that Larry was sure to win the Presidential Award. So, "shocked," an adjective that means surprised, is the correct answer choice because it best fits the sentence's context. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank space: "annoyed" means irritated; "tired" means exhausted; and "ecstatic" means very excited or elated.

Example Question #1747 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Which of the following words best completes the sentence below?

I helped a friend move today. I carried enormous boxes up and down six flights of stairs, and it was __________.

Possible Answers:

exhausting

amazing

refined

worrisome

wasteful

Correct answer:

exhausting

Explanation:

While all the answers fit in the sentence grammatically, "exhausting" most closely relates to the meaning and context of the sentence.

Example Question #1748 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

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 limestone, there are often __________ fossils that are well preserved due to the pressure of this type of sedimentary rock sealing them into the rock.

Possible Answers:

embedded

volatile

detached

designated

defective

Correct answer:

embedded

Explanation:

The best word to describe fossils that are secured in limestone and sealed over time is embedded.

Example Question #1749 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The hush of the forest allows listeners to hear nature's rhythms, and even the soft sound of the woodpecker's beak hitting the tree is __________.

Possible Answers:

masked

muted

perceptible

inharmonious

unrecognizable

Correct answer:

perceptible

Explanation:

The sentence is saying that since the forest is so quiet, even soft sounds can be distinctly heard. Another way of saying this is to describe the sounds as "perceptible," or easily perceived.

Example Question #1750 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, it __________ rains.

Possible Answers:

constantly

never

sporadically

seldom

continually

 

Correct answer:

seldom

Explanation:

In this sentence, the correct answer is one that indicates that it rarely rains in the desert regions; therefore, the correct answer is seldom. It doesn't continually rain, but it also doesn't remain absolutely without rain.

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