ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Sentence Completions

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #541 : Sentence Completions

Which of the following words best completes the sentence below?

"Who took my candy?" Justin asked __________. "I'd been saving my favorites for weeks!"

Possible Answers:

rude

angrily

happily

truthfully

uselessly

Correct answer:

angrily

Explanation:

The blank needs to contain an adverb for this sentence to make sense, and one describing Justin as he asks about his missing candy; "angrily" is therefore the best choice.

Example Question #542 : Sentence Completions

Which pair of words best completes the sentence?

The dog frolicked and leapt through the tall grass; she was __________ to finally be outside with her master.

Possible Answers:

enjoying

ecstatic

nonchalant

happier

bored

Correct answer:

ecstatic

Explanation:

Other than "enjoying," all of the options are the proper part of speech, adjectives, and would fit grammatically in the sentence; however, happier is a comparative adjective, and nothing is being compared in this sentence, and nonchalant and bored both have the wrong meaning for the context; therefore, we're left with "ecstatic" as the best answer, which means overjoyed or thrilled.

Example Question #541 : Sentence Completions

Many of the employees were not happy with the drastic changes that their boss was making to the way the company was run, because such __________ shifts in company policy were causing confusion and stress amongst the employees.

Possible Answers:

speedy

mauve

drastic

subtle

inconsiderate

Correct answer:

drastic

Explanation:

We are told that the changes the new boss made were "dramatic," so we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "dramatic" to describe the policy changes. "Subtle," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "subtle" is an adjective that is often used to describe changes or distinctions and means "so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe." "Drastic," however, is an adjective that means "likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect; radical and extreme," and because "drastic" best describes the changes the new boss made to the company, "drastic" is the correct answer.

Example Question #542 : Sentence Completions

Jim was upset when his new laptop lost power without any warning, but when he took it back to the store, the technicians diagnosed it as having a __________ battery and exchanged the battery for a new one that worked correctly.

Possible Answers:

soft

confusing

faulty

belligerent

operational

Correct answer:

faulty

Explanation:

We can infer that because Jim's new laptop had problems with its power and the technicians at the store exchanged its battery "for a new one that worked correctly," we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "not working properly" to describe the battery the laptop had initially. "Operational," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "operational" is an adjective that means "fit or ready for use or service," which does not accurately describe the battery Jim's laptop initially had that did not work correctly. "Faulty," however, is an adjective that can mean "working badly or unreliably because of imperfections," and because "faulty" best describes how the battery in Jim's new laptop did not work correctly, "faulty" is the correct answer.

Example Question #543 : Sentence Completions

The explorers only figured out that their leader was __________ when they learned of his plans to leave them all stranded on the uninhabited island and take all the treasure for himself after they discovered it.

Possible Answers:

virtuous

erudite

redundant

playful

untrustworthy

Correct answer:

untrustworthy

Explanation:

We can infer that the explorers figured out that their leader was dishonest and could not be relied upon after they learned of his plans to strand them on the island and steal the treasure for himself. So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "dishonest" or "unreliable" to describe the explorers' leader. "Virtuous," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "virtuous" means "having or showing high moral standards," which wouldn't be a very apt description of the leader, who intended to strand his fellow explorers and steal the treasure for himself. "Untrustworthy," however, is an adjective that means "not able to be relied on as honest or truthful," and because "untrustworthy" best describes how the explorers considered their leader after learning of his plans, "untrustworthy" is the correct answer.

Example Question #544 : Sentence Completions

The company’s president had told his assistant not to schedule any more meetings for that day, but after encountering a particularly __________ employee who called seven times demanding a meeting with the president, the assistant scheduled him one.

Possible Answers:

timid

insistent

gregarious

prodigious

forgettable

Correct answer:

insistent

Explanation:

We can infer that the employee being discussed in the sentence was quite persistent, because he “called seven times demanding a meeting with the president.” So, we need to pick out an adjective to describe the employee that means something like “persistent.” That means that “timid” cannot be the correct answer, because “timid” would not accurately describe someone who called the assistant seven times demanding a meeting. “Insistent,” however, is an adjective that means “insisting; not allowing refusal,” and because “insistent” best describes the persistent employee, “insistent” is the correct answer.

Example Question #545 : Sentence Completions

The teacher considered Darlene’s story about how her dog ate her homework to be __________ until Darlene produced the chewed-up pages of the math problems the class had been assigned.

Possible Answers:

unbelievable

believable

excellent

prolonged

hurried

Correct answer:

unbelievable

Explanation:

We can infer that the teacher did not believe Darlene’s story until Darlene produced evidence that it was true, so we need to pick out an adjective for the blank that means something like “not believable.” “Believable” cannot be the correct answer because if the teacher considered Darlene’s story believable, Darlene would not have had to produce evidence that her story was true to convince the teacher her story was true. “Unbelievable,” however, is an adjective that consists of the negative prefix “un-“, which means “not,” and “believable,” so we can infer that it means “not believable.” This is a correct inference, as “unbelievable” means “unlikely to be true.” “Unbelievable” is the answer choice that best fits the sentence’s context, so “unbelievable” is the correct answer.

Example Question #546 : Sentence Completions

Katie discovered a cat in her backyard and assumed it was __________ because it had no collar.

Possible Answers:

intelligent

feral

tame

unsightly

boisterous

Correct answer:

feral

Explanation:

The sentence says that the cat “had no collar,” so we need to pick out an adjective that could describe a cat with no collar. While “tame” and “feral” might each look like a potentially correct answer choice, “tame” is an adjective that means “domesticated” when referring to an animal. So, it would not make sense in the sentence, because one could assume that the cat is domesticated if it had a collar, but it does not. “Feral,” however, is an adjective that is used especially of an animal and means “wild.” Because “feral” best described the collarless cat that the sentence discusses, “feral” is the correct answer.

Example Question #547 : Sentence Completions

The road was __________; it had been raining all day.

Possible Answers:

hard

mean

dry

old

wet

Correct answer:

wet

Explanation:

Since it rained all day, the road would be wet.

Example Question #39 : Adjectives And Adverbs

John was so __________ by the horror movie that he vowed to never see another for the rest of his life.

Possible Answers:

frightened

hungered

engaged

interested

tired

Correct answer:

frightened

Explanation:

The movie frightened John, and therefore he vowed to never see a horror movie again.

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