All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #171 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The mountains here have __________.
a stingy and parsimonious reputation
miniscule peaks and pleasant weather
never moved throughout human history
a fecund and pliant personality
a timeless and daunting quality
a timeless and daunting quality
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answers contains words that might be used to describe mountains. The correct answer is therefore " . . . a timeless and daunting quality." "Timeless" means eternal, lasting forever and "daunting" means impressive. Additionally, "miniscule" means tiny; "stingy" and "parsimonious" mean not generous with money; "fecund" means fertile, capable of producing a lot of food; "pliant" means flexible, bendy.
Example Question #172 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________, so she made more mature friends.
She went out into the wilderness
She loved to spend time with her old friends
She found her old friends juvenile
She loved to sit alone
She was desperate for wealth and success
She found her old friends juvenile
You are told that the girl "made more mature friends." The word "mature" means grown-up, behaving like an adult. So, you are looking for a reason why someone might look for more grown-up friends. The correct answer is therefore "She found her old friends juvenile . . . " Juvenile means childish, immature, behaving like a child.
Example Question #173 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________, I had better bring a jacket.
I am often really hot
I have too little money
I have never been to a party
It is frigid outside
It is stifling outside
It is frigid outside
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these is a reason why someone would need to bring a jacket. The correct answer is therefore "It is frigid outside . . . " "Frigid" means very cold. Additionally, "stifling" means uncomfortably hot.
Example Question #174 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
Fables are important for young children because __________.
they teach valuable lessons
they lead to mental illness
children are often alone
children are meant to study
they inspire bad behavior
they teach valuable lessons
"Fables" are stories meant to give some sort of lesson, usually a moral lesson. So, to solve this problem you have to determine which of these answers is a positive result of reading fables to children. The correct answer is " . . . they teach valuable lessons."
Example Question #175 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ landed him in trouble with the authorities.
His nonconformist beliefs
His charming demeanor
His industrious personality
His dashing attitude
His perfect work ethic
His nonconformist beliefs
To begin with "authority" means power, so the "authorities" are people in power. So, to solve this problem you need to determine which of these might get someone in trouble with people in power. The correct answer is therefore "His nonconformist beliefs . . . " Someone who is a "nonconformist" does not follow the rules. All the other answer choices are positive attributes that would be unlikely to land someone in trouble. Additionally, "industrious" means hard-working; "charming" means pleasing, agreeable, delightful; "dashing" means attractive and charming; someone's "demeanor" is the way they carry themselves, how they act and behave.
Example Question #176 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The two boys were boisterous and rowdy, so the babysitter __________.
gave them a reward
was able to take a nap
was able to help them finish their homework
tried to calm them down
abandoned them in the house
tried to calm them down
To solve this problem you need to know the definition of "boisterous" and "rowdy." "Boisterous" means noisy and full of energy, cheerful and lively and "rowdy" means noisy and out of control. So, if the babysitter had two small children who were hard to control and noisy she would most likely have " . . . tried to calm them down." The other answer choices reflect actions the babysitter might have taken if the boys had been "tranquil" (calm) or "serene" (peaceful).
Example Question #177 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The audience thought the comedian was hilarious and __________.
were bored by the show
jeered at his performance
left the theatre during the performance
applauded him warmly
mocked him the next day
applauded him warmly
To begin with "hilarious" means very funny. So, if the audience found the comedian very funny which of these answer choices represents their most likely reaction? The correct answer is " . . . applauded him warmly." "Applauded" means clapped and "warmly" means done with kindness and affection. Additionally, "jeered" means booed, shouted abused at; "mocked" means made fun of. As you can see, all the other answer choices are negative and would be reactions to a bad performance in which the comedian was not hilarious.
Example Question #178 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The old man's health declined so __________.
he went on a long trip
he managed to inherit a fortune
he made a lot of money
he was permitted to leave the hospital
they took him to the hospital
they took him to the hospital
To solve this problem you first need to know that "declined" means decreased, went down, diminished. So, if the old man's health "declined" or got worse he would be most likely be taken " . . . to the hospital." Additionally, "inherit" means be given money or property after someone dies; a "fortune" is a large sum of money; "permitted" means allowed.
Example Question #179 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
I neglected to eat properly and __________.
excelled in school
my family thinks it is boring
now I have become sick
improved my health
experienced many benefits
now I have become sick
To solve this problem you first need to know that "neglected" means failed to do, ignored a responsibility. So, if the speaker failed to eat properly what consequence (result) could they expect? The correct answer is " . . . now I have become sick." Additionally, "improved" means got better; "excelled" means did very well; "benefits" means positive outcomes, things that help.
Example Question #180 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ when I saw his true generous nature.
The people cheered
My love for him deepened
The animals suffered
I fled
I trembled with fear
My love for him deepened
To solve this problem you have to determine what the speaker was most likely to do when she saw the man's true generous nature. "Generous" means kind, giving so it is a positive adjective. The correct answer then is "My love for him deepened . . . " To provide help, "deepened" means became deeper, became more intense. Additionally, "fled" means ran away from; "trembled" means shook (with fear); "suffered" means experienced pain. Finally, you might have thought that the people cheering would be a reasonable reaction, but the pronoun used in this answer choice does not match the pronoun used in the sentence completion problem.