All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #941 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Before I leave for school __________.
I talk to my teacher
her mother helped her with her homework
they drive together
I have to get ready
she has to get dressed
I have to get ready
The primary clue to solving this problem is the use of the word "before." This tells you that the correct answer must relate to something that the speaker would do in the morning in preparation for school. The correct answer is therefore " . . . I have to get ready." Notice that most of the incorrect answers use the wrong pronoun. Pronouns are words like "he," "she," or "they." Pay careful attention to pronoun continuation in all phrase-based sentence completion questions.
Example Question #942 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Despite feeling lonely __________.
she was very sad
she went for a quiet walk
she did not want to see anyone
she cooked herself a small dinner
her family had left her
she did not want to see anyone
The key to solving this problem is the conjunction "despite" that begins this sentence. The word "despite" is hard to explain, but it means something like even though this thing is true, this opposite thing is also true. So even though the girl felt lonely, she still did not want to see anyone. Because this word is so hard to define let us look at a couple more examples: "Despite being very sick, she still went to work"; "Despite it being winter, it was very hot outside."
Example Question #943 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________ because he robbed the local bank.
He went out to the shops
He has left himself alone
He was living quietly in his home
He was on the run from the police
He was very poor
He was on the run from the police
The use of the word "because" tells you that to solve this problem you need to consider which one of these answer choices best represents a consequence of someone robbing a bank. The correct answer then is "He was on the run from the police . . . " The answer choice "He was very poor . . . " would work better if the conjunction was "so" rather than "because."
Example Question #944 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The wedding was supposed to be a joyous occasion, __________.
however no-one felt sad
but they danced the night away
but she felt sad and alone
although everyone felt celebratory
but everyone felt happy
but she felt sad and alone
The key to solving this problem is understanding the use of the word "supposed." The word suggests that something was meant to happen, but in fact something else or opposite has happened. As in, "it was supposed to rain, but the sun is shining." Also, you need to understand that the word "joyous" means happy. So, the correct answer must relate to someone not feeling happy about the wedding even though they were "meant" to. The correct answer is therefore " . . . but she felt sad and alone."
Example Question #945 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________, so I wrapped it in a blanket.
My dog was very cold
I felt cold after a long day in the snow
My brother was wet from the rain
I was very hot and tired
I left my wallet at home
My dog was very cold
To solve this problem you have to think of a reason why the speaker would wrap something in a blanket. The correct answer is therefore "My dog was very cold . . . " You know that it must be a "something" rather than a "someone" because of the use of the pronoun "it." People are "he," "she," or "they." Animals and things are "it."
Example Question #946 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________ because it was very old.
The woman was put into a nursing home
The lawyer was expensive
The man was freed from prison
The car was cheap
The treatment was praiseworthy
The car was cheap
To solve this problem you need to consider which of these answer choices most likely relates to something being very old. You also have to consider that the pronoun used is "it." This means the answer choice cannot relate to a man, a woman, or a lawyer. Otherwise the pronoun used would be "he," "she," or "they." The correct answer is therefore "The car was very cheap . . . " Additionally, "expensive" means costing a lot of money, not cheap; "praiseworthy" means deserving of praise, laudable.
Example Question #947 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After I lost my keys __________.
I ordered a pizza
I had already found them
I had to replace them
I went to the dentist
I entered my house
I had to replace them
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices best represents an action the speaker might take in reaction to losing their keys. The correct answer is therefore " . . . I had to replace them." The answer choice " . . . I had already found them" does not make sense contextually.
Example Question #948 : Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ her whole family celebrated.
Even though she was found innocent
After she was proved innocent
Despite being proved innocent
Before she was proved innocent
She was found guilty and
After she was proved innocent
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices best represents a reason why someone's family might celebrate. The correct answer then is "After she was found innocent . . . " The other answer choices are either less logical or else contain inappropriate conjunctions like "even though" and "despite."
Example Question #949 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________, despite the bad weather.
The plane landed safely
The rain kept falling
The wind picked up
I read my book
The clock stopped working
The plane landed safely
To solve this problem you need to consider the meaning of the conjunction "despite." "Despite" is a difficult word to define, but it means something like not being affected by. So, in the context of this sentence something was able to happen without being affected by the bad weather. Of these answer choices, only the landing of a plane could possibly be affected by bad weather so this is the correct answer. Because "despite" is such a difficult word to understand let us look at a couple more examples: "Despite feeling sick, he went to school"; "I stayed up all night, despite being exhausted."
Example Question #950 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________, but I cannot enjoy them too often because they are unhealthy.
I love to eat fruits
I wandered for days
The food is going to spoil
I feel energetic
I love cheeseburgers
I love cheeseburgers
To solve this problem you need to consider the use of the word "but." Also you are told that whatever it is that the speaker enjoys is unhealthy. The word "but" is used to change the meaning of a sentence to reveal an opposite idea. The correct answer is therefore "I love cheeseburgers . . . " The speaker loves to eat cheeseburgers, but cannot enjoy them too often. Additionally, "spoil" means ruin, go off; "energetic" means full of energy; "wandered" means walked without purpose, walked slowly or casually.