All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #31 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
"Careful," the old man exclaimed, "__________."
that box is marked fragile
I wish I could spend all day with you
I feel very strong
I feel as young as ever
the weight is not cumbersome
that box is marked fragile
In this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices is something that someone might say after saying "Careful." The correct answer is therefore " . . . this box is marked fragile." "Fragile" means easily broken. The other answer choices all either describe reasons why someone might not have to be careful or else are unrelated and nonsensical. Additionally, "exclaimed" means said, expressed out loud; "cumbersome" means heavy, difficult to carry, difficult to manage.
Example Question #32 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ with his calming words.
He exacerbated the problem
He aggravated the situation
He soothed the man
He ensured chaos
He preserved bedlam
He soothed the man
To solve this problem you need to consider what someone's calming words might lead to. The correct answer is "He soothed the man . . . " "Soothed" means assuaged, calmed, made to feel better and more relaxed. The other answer choices all suggest a result that would not occur from someone speaking calmly. Additionally, "exacerbated" and "aggravated" both mean intensified and made worse; "bedlam" means mayhem, disorder, chaos, madness; "ensured" means made sure happened; "preserved" means saved, maintained.
Example Question #33 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
Compared to a genius __________.
I look beautiful
people feel splendid
no-one feels unattractive
she is smart
I feel stupid
I feel stupid
To begin with you need to know that a "genius" is someone very smart. So, which of these answer choices describes what might happen when someone is compared to a genius? The correct answer is " . . . I feel stupid." To "compare" means to measure something against something else. So, when measured next to a genius the speaker feels stupid by comparison. Additionally, "unattractive" means not attractive, ugly; "splendid" means excellent, great.
Example Question #34 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
If you warm an ice-cube __________.
you can't get water
you are going to burn
although needing water
despite getting water
it is likely to melt
it is likely to melt
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices describes something that might happen if you heat an ice-cube. The correct answer is, obviously, that it will melt. You need to be careful of this question because the incorrect answers contain illogical conjunctions. If a conjunction does not sound right to you, but you have no other information to go on, you should trust your instincts. The human brain is hard-wired to understand language and sentence structure, and even if you do not understand what a specific conjunction means you might still recognize what it cannot mean.
Example Question #35 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The snow accumulated __________.
without any frigid temperatures
and melted away
and had to be shovelled
before the snow fell
and was replaced by rain
and had to be shovelled
To solve this problem you first need to know that "accumulated" means gathered, piled up, collected. So, if the snow was gathering and collecting on the ground which of these answer choices is the most likely result? The correct answer is " . . . and had to be shovelled." The other answer choices all describe something illogical within the context of this sentence. Additionally, "frigid" means very cold; "temperature" means the measure of how hot or cold it is.
Example Question #36 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ is that I am poor and he is wealthy.
However being from the same family
One difference between us
Notwithstanding our many differences, one likeness we share
Something we have in common
In spite of the fact I find interesting
One difference between us
To begin with "wealthy" means rich, not poor. So, which of these answer choices matches with this comparison that the speaker is making? The correct answer is "One difference between us . . . " The other answer choices either contain incorrect conjunctions or else are related to similarities not differences. Additionally, "likeness" means similarity; "notwithstanding" means not counting, not considering.
Example Question #37 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
She took medicine __________.
inside of her doctor
to feel better
although being sick
under the weather
despite being sick
to feel better
To solve this problem you have to determine which of these is a likely reason why someone might take medicine. "Medicine" is drugs used to cure sickness. So, the correct answer is " . . . to feel better." The other answer choices are either illogical or contain improper conjunctions, like "although" and "despite."
Example Question #2113 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The plane kept ascending __________.
until it crashed into the ground
so they hired a mechanic to fix it
further from the truth
despite being capable of flying
higher and higher
higher and higher
To solve this problem you need to know that "ascending" means going up. So, if the plane keeps going up then it is going " . . . higher and higher." The other answer choices would either make more sense with "descending" (going down) or else contain improper conjunctions or are total nonsense.
Example Question #38 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ so my teacher told me to calm down.
I worked hard on my paper
I was serene
I practiced art after school
I was overenthusiastic
I helped out my classmate
I was overenthusiastic
To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices describes a reason why the teacher would tell the speaker to calm down. The correct answer is therefore "I was overenthusiastic . . . " "Enthusiastic" means excited, so "overenthusiastic" means too excited, out of control. All the other answer choices do not seem like actions that would cause a teacher to tell a student to calm down.
Example Question #39 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Phrase Based Sentence Completions
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ I never want to see her again.
Because she is so mean to me
It seems unlikely because we are enemies, but
My friends are going to the countryside and
Even though she is so mean to me
Although I absolutely hate her
Because she is so mean to me
To solve this problem you have to determine which of these answer choices describes why someone might never want to see someone again. The correct answer is "Because she is so mean to me . . . " But, in this problem you have to be careful because there are several incorrect conjunctions, like "even though" or "although" which might trick you into picking the wrong answer.
Certified Tutor
Certified Tutor