ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Phrase- and Clause-Based Sentence Completions

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #51 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

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

When Rebecca's grandmother passed away, she developed a newfound appreciation for __________.

Possible Answers:

discovering new ideas

how precious life is

playing team sports

planning for her future

working hard in school

Correct answer:

how precious life is

Explanation:

When someone passes away, the most logical response of the available options is that one would have a new appreciation for life and how precious it is. The correct answer choice is the only option that reflects this. The other answer choices are not logical conclusions to draw following the death of a loved one.

Example Question #52 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

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

The teacher could not believe how immaturely the eight year old boy was acting; his behavior was like that of __________.

Possible Answers:

a calm adult

an average second grader

a cranky infant

an unruly teenager

a sleeping baby

Correct answer:

a cranky infant

Explanation:

Given that the boy is acting immaturely, the blank should be filled by an option that reflects an immature state of being. There are two possibilities: "a cranky infant" and "a sleeping baby." A sleeping baby is an image that inspires a positive impression, not a negative one like the kind we have in this sentence. Thus, "a cranky infant" is the best answer.

Example Question #53 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

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

The writer made a resolution to eat a healthier diet by eating __________ foods.

Possible Answers:

more satisfying

inexpensive

delicious

more nutritious

fried

Correct answer:

more nutritious

Explanation:

If the writer is trying to eat healthier, it makes sense that she would want to include foods that are more nutritious, because nutritious foods are better for your body. This answer choice is more relevant than the other possibilities of "inexpensive," "delicious," "fried," and "more satisfying."

Example Question #54 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

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

While Gerald is very generous with other students, __________, his friends are the opposite and rarely assist their classmates.

Possible Answers:

helping them however he can

ignoring their requests for help

concentrating on his own work

sometimes being supportive of them

acknowledging their struggles

Correct answer:

helping them however he can

Explanation:

If someone is very generous, it means that they are very giving of him- or herself. In this list of answer choices, the option that best conveys someone being generous is the idea that Gerald assists other students, "helping them however he can." This is therefore the correct answer. While "acknowledging their struggles" may look like a potentially correct answer, "helping them however he can" better contrasts with the idea that the other students "rarely assist their classmates."

Example Question #55 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the phrase that best completes the following sentence.

Even though Anna loves trying new restaurants, her boyfriend __________.

Possible Answers:

is always up for trying new things

has a friend who has opened a new restaurant

prefers to eat at familiar places

cannot wait to see the new café in town

works in the financial district

Correct answer:

prefers to eat at familiar places

Explanation:

The key words to look at here are “even though.” We know that Anna enjoys trying new restaurants, but the words “even though” clue us in that her boyfriend does not. The answers “cannot wait to see the new café in town” and “is always up for trying new things” cannot be correct because they are the same preference as Anna’s. The fact that her boyfriend “has a friend who has opened a new restaurant” and “works in the financial district” does not convey his preference. Therefore, we can see that “prefers to eat at familiar places” is the correct answer, as it differs from Anna’s enjoyment of new restaurants.

Example Question #56 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the phrase that best completes the following sentence.

Alden’s father must __________, or else he cannot wake up thoroughly enough to get the kids to school on time.

Possible Answers:

hit snooze on his morning alarm many times

go for a run with the dog

wake up often in the middle of the night

stay up very late at night

drink coffee first thing in the morning

Correct answer:

drink coffee first thing in the morning

Explanation:

The words “or else” begin the second part of the sentence, meaning that the second part is a consequence of the action in the first part of the sentence not being completed. Therefore, we are looking for an action that would allow the father to “wake up thoroughly enough to get the kids to school on time.” “Hitting snooze on his morning alarm many times” often makes people late for morning engagements, so we can rule that answer out. “Staying up very late at night” and “waking up often in the middle of the night” each result in less sleep, making waking up much more difficult in the morning. “Go for a run with the dog” doesn’t really relate to one’s ability to wake up thoroughly or on time. We can then select “drink coffee first thing in the morning” as the correct answer, as coffee is often used to help wake people up in the morning.

Example Question #57 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the phrase that best completes the following sentence.

The new furniture is beautiful, but __________.

Possible Answers:

there are many matching pillows

it was really cheap

the colors fit the room perfectly

it was very difficult to have it all delivered

it is all equally comfortable to sit on

Correct answer:

it was very difficult to have it all delivered

Explanation:

Here, we see the conjunction “but,” meaning that the second part of the sentence needs to contrast with the first part. If the furniture is beautiful, a contrasting quality of the furniture would be that “it was very difficult to have it all delivered,” so that is the correct answer. The other four answers suggest positive aspects of the furniture and do not contrast with the description of “beautiful.”

Example Question #58 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the phrase that best completes the following sentence.

Despite how much fun the other girls were having, Chelsea was ___________ because she missed her family a lot and was homesick.

Possible Answers:

having even more fun

struggling to make friends

not having a good time

being bitten by mosquitoes

not enjoying the food

Correct answer:

not having a good time

Explanation:

The clue word "because" indicates that the fact that Chelsea missed her family caused another effect. That effect goes in the blank. It makes sense that if Chelsea missed her family, she would not be having a good time. Therefore, "not having a good time" is the best answer.

Example Question #59 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

Dogs are very social animals, which is why they are good for families; they treat members of the family __________.

Possible Answers:

obstacles to be overcome

as familiar items

as providers of food

as members of a pack

as humans

Correct answer:

as members of a pack

Explanation:

This sentence makes clear that dogs are very social animals, and so the sentence should be completed with a phrase that reflects how social they are. The phrase, that dogs treat family members "as members of a pack" suggests social connectedness and is therefore the correct answer. 

Example Question #60 : Phrase And Clause Based Sentence Completions

Choose the clause that best completes the following sentence.

The stuffed animal was so old that ___________, with the fabric developing tears in multiple places.

Possible Answers:

it was absolutely pristine

it was beginning to disintegrate

it belonged in a museum 

no one knew whom it belonged to

it was still in good shape

Correct answer:

it was beginning to disintegrate

Explanation:

This sentence indicates that the stuffed animal is so old that it is beginning to form tiny tears all over. The best phrase to describe what is happening is therefore, "it was beginning to disintegrate," because it describes the fact that the stuffed animal is gradually falling apart.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors