All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
He is __________ ready on time, and as a result, his friends often start playing basketball without him.
seldom
reliably
always
invariably
frequently
seldom
Because the subject’s friends usually start playing basketball without him, it is obvious that he must never or rarely be ready on time. The word “seldom” is the only answer choice that conveys that the subject of the sentence is rarely ready on time; all of the other answer choices emphasize how often he is ready on time, and so don't make sense in the sentence.
Example Question #12 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
Unless Lisa __________ the required material, she will probably earn a good grade on the Spanish exam.
completes
studies
practices
forgets
masters
forgets
To complete this sentence, it is important to note its first word, "unless." This conjunction has a similar meaning to the phrase except when. In other words, Lisa will probably get a good grade on the Spanish test, except when she has done something specific in relation to the required material. So, we're looking for the one verb that would lead Lisa to do poorly. If Lisa "masters" the material, she'll likely earn a good grade, not a poor one; the same goes for "practices" and "completes." Our answer, then, must be "forgets." If Lisa forgets the material, she won't earn that good score on the test.
Example Question #13 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
The apple was mushy from being overly __________, and its texture made it no longer appetizing.
ripe
large
picked
crunchy
red
ripe
An apple becomes mushy when it is too mature. The words that best describes an apple being so old that its texture changes is the word "ripe," which means fully developed. The stage following ripeness is rottenness.
Example Question #14 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
In order to __________ how much money I had, I had to get a job.
increase
decrease
spend
protect
discover
increase
You get paid to do your job, so if the author had to get one, it makes sense that he would get more money. The answer is therefore “increase,” which means to go up in amount. It is the opposite of “decrease.” The prefix "in-" in this context means up and the prefix "de-" means down. "Inspire” means to get someone to do something by making them feel they want to do it.
Example Question #11 : Context Clues In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
While Bob is very generous, his sister is, by contrast, extremely __________.
independent
rude
gullible
friendly
selfish
selfish
Here, the clue in this sentence is the key phrase "by contrast," which indicates that whatever follows the phrase is the opposite of what came before it. Given that Bob is "generous," and that his sister has a quality that contrasts with his generosity, the blank should be a word that is the opposite of "generous." "Selfish" means never sharing or caring about others, so it is the opposite of "generous" and therefore the correct answer.
Example Question #12 : Context Clues In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
Andrea felt very __________, as she couldn't decide whether she wanted soup or a sandwich for lunch and kept going back and forth between her two options.
refined
bored
hungry
indecisive
mundane
indecisive
Given that Andrea cannot make up her mind, the best word to fill this blank is "indecisive." A tempting wrong choice is "hungry." However, this is not correct, because the sentence doesn't indicate that Andrea has an appetite, only that she is unsure of what she wants to eat. "Mundane" means plain, and is not the correct answer either.
Example Question #13 : Context Clues In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
I am so frustrated by my family; I just can’t stand spending time with my __________ around the holidays because everyone is so dishonest.
kin
classmates
parties
employees
friends
kin
From the context you know that the correct answer must be something similar to the word “family,” this should lead you to the correct answer which is “kin.” “Kin” and “family” are synonyms of one another.
Example Question #14 : Context Clues In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Tom's __________ cost the company tens of millions of dollars and his boss warned him that if he made another mistake he would be fired.
promotion
malignant
furlong
rascal
mishap
mishap
Something that Tom did cost his company lost of money. Additionally you are told that Tom is warned that if he makes another mistake he will be fired. You can therefore determine that the answer must mean something similar to "mistake." The correct answer is therefore "mishap" which means accident. To provide further help, a "rascal" is a troublemaker; "malignant" means dangerous or lethal; a "furlong" is a unit of measurement, one-eighth of a mile.
Example Question #15 : Context Clues In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
It is the night guard's __________ to protect the hospital and monitor the entrance.
antidote
scar
disguise
wait
task
task
A night guard is someone whose job it is to watch over something and monitor it. So, the answer you are looking for must be similar in meaning to "job." The correct answer is therefore "task" because this means job, duty, responsibility. To provide further help, an "antidote" is a solution to a poison, medicine; a "disguise" is something you wear to hide yourself.
Example Question #16 : Context Clues In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The teacher deliberately gave her students __________ information so that they would be confused and have to think carefully about the work.
illuminating
considerable
depressing
misleading
helpful
misleading
The teacher wanted the students to be confused so it makes sense that the information given would be confusing. The correct answer is therefore "misleading." "Misleading" means confusing, intended to give someone the wrong idea. To provide further help, "considerable" means a large amount of; "illuminating" means shining a light on, revealing; "depressing" means sad, something that will make you feel sad.
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