All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #121 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________ and was never in debt.
He spent his money wisely
He wasted all his money
He borrowed from the bank
He lost his credit card
He offered his assistance
He spent his money wisely
To solve this problem you simply need to figure out which one of these answer choices matches with someone who was never in debt. "Debt" is money or favor owed to another person. So, if the subject was never in debt it makes sense that "He spent his money wisely . . . "
Example Question #122 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The bread was not merely firm. It was utterly ___________ and could not be punctured at all.
strange
impenetrable
resistant
different
flimsy
impenetrable
This pair of sentences use an intensification to make the point from the first to the second sentence. The bread in question is not merely firm, it is so solid that something cannot even be "poked" through it. This means that it cannot be penetrated. The adjective "impenetrable" means just this. An impenetrable barrier cannot be passed through at all.
Example Question #123 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The already dim fire finally became totally ___________, producing no more light and heat for the room.
Extinguished
Distinct
Pale
Blazing
Glowing
Extinguished
This sentence indicates that the fire was decreasing in strength. It was becoming progressively less powerful and finally "went out" entirely. This means that it was totally extinguished. A fire extinguisher is a device that is used for completely putting out a fire. These words are related to the word "extinct". We most often use this word to describe species of animals that have totally died out. You can see how a fire that has "gone out" is "extinct" in its own way.
Example Question #124 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Brian really wanted to get the job, so he __________ the interviewer by telling her how beautiful she looked and how smart she was.
flattered
answered
rejoiced
confounded
enlightened
flattered
It seems that Brian is trying to manipulate the woman who is interviewing him by telling her these nice things. The sentence implies that he is doing it because he wants the job. When we tell someone kind and nice things so that we can get our way, we are said to "flatter" that person. (This option is better than "answered", which is really just a general word that would work for this sentence without being as good as "flatter.")
Example Question #125 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Sarah liked to buy things from ___________ businesses instead of going out of town to the stores that could be found throughout the entire country.
negligent
insignificant
impoverished
tiny
local
local
Pay close attention to the contrast being expressed in this sentence. Sarah didn't like going to stores that were found "throughout the entire country." Therefore, she wanted to go to stores that were much closer to home, so to speak. This describes something that is local. We do not know if she wanted to go so tiny or small businesses—even though many local stores may be smaller than national ones. All that we know is that she wanted to shop locally, not at national stores.
Example Question #126 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
While he didn't exactly __________ that he stole the cookies, the small child also didn't admit his guilt.
explain
decide
express
accept
deny
deny
A sentence like this needs to be read carefully. The small child did not admit his guilt about the cookies. The first part of the sentence seems to indicate that he didn't lie and cover it up either. This is hinted at by the way the sentence starts ("While . . ."). Thus, the best option is "deny", which expresses this idea of trying to cover up the small crime that he committed.
Example Question #127 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
To their surprise, the prisoners were __________ after being held captive by the army for many months, thinking that they would never be freed.
killed
promoted
forgiven
exalted
liberated
liberated
The sentence states that the prisoners were surprised. In order to understand their surprise, you need to consider what they were thinking before this. According to the sentence, they thought that they would not be freed by the army. Therefore, the surprise that they experienced was that they actually were freed. The word "liberate" is a verb meaning to free. The word "liberty" means freedom and is clearly related to the verb "liberate."
Example Question #128 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The army completely __________ its foes, killing each and every last one of them.
hated
despised
battled
slaughtered
destroyed
slaughtered
Notice that the sentence states that the army killed every single one of its foes. This means that nobody was "left standing." The best answer is the word that describes an act of very thorough killing. The word "slaughter" means just this. The word "destroyed" does not express this complete killing as well as "slaughter." The other options are even more distant from this meaning.
Example Question #129 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The massive plane was engineered to ___________ far above the normal cruising altitude for planes of its size.
elevate
fly
meander
levitate
soar
soar
This sentence states that the very large plane was able to fly well above its normal altitude. While either "fly" or perhaps even "elevate" might work to express this general idea, the best option will be a word that expresses the idea of flying very high in the air. The word "soar" does just this, so it is the best option among those provided.
Example Question #130 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Daniel was afraid that he would be arrested for his action, for he was not certain whether or not it had been __________ for him to do it.
acceptable
understandable
legal
foreseen
pardonable
legal
The key clue in this sentence is the fact that Daniel feared being arrested for his action. This implies that it might have been illegal. When something is "illegal," it is against the law. Likewise, something "legal" is lawful. He apparently doubts whether or not it was lawful. It is not merely a fear about it being acceptable!
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