ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Sentence Completions

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #78 : Verbs

Greg decided to __________ a letter to his Grandma, who lived in Russia.

Possible Answers:

grow

fight

send

free

eat

Correct answer:

send

Explanation:

A person sends a letter.

Example Question #361 : Sentence Completions

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

In order to __________ the bread for a longer period of time, it was placed in the freezer so that it would have a longer shelf life.

Possible Answers:

diminish

increase

preserve

displace

abandon

Correct answer:

preserve

Explanation:

When bread is put in the freezer, it is to "preserve" the bread, or keep it in its current condition, so that it can be used for a longer period of time. "Increase" would be an incorrect choice, since putting bread in the freezer doesn't increase the amount of bread that one has on hand.

Example Question #362 : Sentence Completions

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

In art class, Darryl used colored pencils to __________ a scene from his favorite book.

Possible Answers:

perform

run

write

forget

illustrate

Correct answer:

illustrate

Explanation:

Since the sentence tells us that Darryl "used colored pencils," we can assume that he was either writing or drawing, since none of the other answer choices involve pencils or other writing instruments. In picking between "illustrate," which means to depict a story with pictures, and "write," "illustrate" is the better answer because we know that Darryl was "in art class," so it more reasonable that he would be drawing, not writing, a scene from his favorite book. So, "illustrate" is the correct answer.

Example Question #363 : Sentence Completions

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

Cuttlefish are known to __________ ink when they feel threatened, spraying it out of their bodies and causing the surrounding water to grow cloudy in order to increase their chance of escaping safely.

Possible Answers:

question

emit

eat

permit

erase

Correct answer:

emit

Explanation:

We know that cuttlefish "spray [ink] out of their bodies" when they are threatened, so we can infer that we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "release." "Emit" is a verb which means "produce and discharge something, especially gas or radiation" or "send out: eject," and because it best fits the sentence's context, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #364 : Sentence Completions

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

The reason the bread dough became moldy and unusable before the chef could bake it was because the dough was __________ with bacteria while it was being prepared.

Possible Answers:

contaminated

persuaded

enhanced

evaded

nullified

Correct answer:

contaminated

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that the bread dough was exposed to bacteria that resulted in it "bec[oming] moldy and unusable," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "exposed to." "Enhanced" cannot be the correct answer because something becomes better when it is "enhanced," and we know that the bacteria made the bread dough not only "moldy" but also "unusable." So, "enhanced" cannot be the correct answer. "Contaminated," however, is a verb that means "made something impure by exposure to or addition of a poisonous or polluting substance." Because "contaminated" is the answer choice that best describes the interaction between the bacteria and the bread dough and best fits the sentence's context, "contaminated" is the correct answer.

Example Question #365 : Sentence Completions

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

One of the art students felt that the requirement for his work to meet certain specific criteria restricted his artistic freedom and __________ his creativity.

Possible Answers:

stymied

struck

lost

inspired

waddled

Correct answer:

stymied

Explanation:

We can infer that because the art student "felt that the requirement for his work to meet certain specific criteria restricted his artistic freedom," he probably also felt that those criteria limited his creativity as well. So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "limited." "Expanded," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "inspired" means "fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, especially to do something creative," and if the art student felt that the criteria "restricted his artistic freedom," he's not likely to have thought the criteria to have inspired his creativity. "Stymied," however, is a verb that means "prevented or hindered the progress of," and because "stymied" best describes what the art student likely felt the criteria did to his creativity, "stymied" is the correct answer.

Example Question #366 : Sentence Completions

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

The pest exterminator thought he had __________ all of the cockroaches in the building with his new insecticide, so he was extremely surprised when a few lazily wandered in front of him when he was done spraying.

Possible Answers:

kept

protected

quieted

demanded

eradicated

Correct answer:

eradicated

Explanation:

We can infer that because the sentence is talking about a "pest exterminator" who uses "insecticide" ("a substance used for killing insects"), that we need to pick out a verb that means something like "got rid of" or "killed." "Protected," then, cannot be the correct answer because the exterminator is clearly not trying to protect the cockroaches, but to kill them. "Eradicated," however, is a verb that means "destroy completely; put an end to," and because "eradicated" best describes how the exterminator assumed that he had killed all the cockroaches in the building, "eradicated" is the correct answer.

Example Question #367 : Sentence Completions

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

As the boxer reached middle age, he noticed a dramatic __________ in his abilities and soon decided to retire.

Possible Answers:

decline

enhancement

improvement

growth

dismay

Correct answer:

decline

Explanation:

Based on the aging of the boxer and the fact that he decided to retire, it is reasonable to think that his abilities became worse, which matches the definition of the word “decline.” To provide further help, “improvement” means something that has gotten better; an “enhancement” is something added to make something better; “dismay” is a feeling of sadness and hopelessness; “growth” is the opposite of “decline.”

Example Question #368 : Sentence Completions

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

One of the attractions at the fair was a raffle in which participants attempted to correctly ___________ the number of jelly beans in a gigantic jar; the person whose guess was most accurate received a prize.

Possible Answers:

dream

limit

estimate

forget

insist

Correct answer:

estimate

Explanation:

Because we know that the fairgoers are submitting guesses about how many jelly beans are in the jar, we can infer that we need to pick out a verb that means something like "guess." "Estimate" is a word that when used as a verb means "roughly calculate or judge the value, number, quantity, or extent of," and because it best fits the context of the sentence, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #369 : Sentence Completions

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

One percussionist's job was to strike the gong at a specific point during the symphony, and let it __________ so that the sound continued for a long time.

Possible Answers:

quiet

resonate

mend

flare

prolong

Correct answer:

resonate

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that the percussionist let the gong continue to make noise at a certain point in the symphony, so we need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb that means something like "make noise." "Quiet," then, cannot be the correct answer, because as a verb, "quiet" means "make or become silent, calm, or still," which does not describe the gong in the sentence as the gong continues to make noise. "Resonate," however, is a verb that means "produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound," or in other words, "to continue to produce a loud, clear, deep sound for a long time." Because "resonate" is the answer choice that best describes the gong's continual noisemaking in the sentence and best fits the context of the sentence, "resonate" is the correct answer.

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