ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Word-Based Sentence Completions

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #811 : Word Based Sentence Completions

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

It is rare to find someone with a truly ___________ character, who always wants to do what is right and to be a truly good human person.

Possible Answers:

virtuous

acceptable

regular

joyous

agreeable

Correct answer:

virtuous

Explanation:

This sentence is describing someone who has very high moral standards for himself or herself. This means that he or she is not merely an agreeable personality. No! He or she has a virtuous character, one that is ready to do good at any time. This moral aspect is needed for the sentence to be completed correctly.

Example Question #812 : Word Based Sentence Completions

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

Peter was quite ___________ of his tendency to shout at others when angry, so he would regularly apologize for his bad temper.

Possible Answers:

aware

ashamed

hateful

reflective

mindful

Correct answer:

ashamed

Explanation:

Since Peter apologizes for his tendency to yell at others, we can rightly guess that he is not very proud of this character trait. It doesn't make sense to say that he is "hateful of it." We can say that he is embarrassed by it—or, is ashamed of it. 

Example Question #813 : Word Based Sentence Completions

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

Laura did not like her son's _____________ attitude, so she always told him that he should try to look for the best thing in every situation.

Possible Answers:

depressive

outrageous

impulsive

negative

angry

Correct answer:

negative

Explanation:

It seems that Laura is trying to encourage her son to be more positive. We don't know if he is being angry or impulsive (or really anything else). All that is indicated is that Laura wants him to look for the best in every situation. Therefore, his attitude must be rather negative. A negative person looks for the worst thing in every situation. It actually comes from roots that mean "no"—as though the negative person always says "no."

Example Question #814 : Word Based Sentence Completions

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

The _____________ thing needed for the meal was the turkey.  It really didn't matter what else was made for side dishes.

Possible Answers:

common

favorite

essential

acceptable

traditional

Correct answer:

essential

Explanation:

You might think that this sentence is saying that the turkey was the common or traditional thing for the meal. It doesn't really indicate that at all. Perhaps the person eating the meal can only eat turkey meat. In that case, it is not really because of tradition that it is needed. Instead, the point of this sentence is that although other things don't really matter, the turkey is "essential."  Another way of saying this is that it is something that you just can't go without.

Example Question #815 : Word Based Sentence Completions

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

After many losses on the battlefield, the army was finally _____________, winning an important battle in the swamp.

Possible Answers:

surprised

intrigued

dejected

victorious

overjoyed

Correct answer:

victorious

Explanation:

The most important clue in the sentence is the final clause. This means that there is a contrast being discussed here. The army went from losing to winning. Therefore, we can say that it was finally "victorious," at least in one very important battle.

Example Question #816 : Word Based Sentence Completions

Fill in the blank.

The __________ scheme of pestering their parents with endless questions, hiding in the house, and pretending to still do homework at night was a purposeful delay tactic the two children used so they wouldn't have to go to bed so early.

Possible Answers:

straightforward

elaborate

cautious 

thoughtless 

thoughtless

Correct answer:

elaborate

Explanation:

The scheme used to trick their parents every night was well thought out and detailed or elaborate. They needed to think up several ways to delay the process of going to bed early.

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