All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #68 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SUSPICIOUS
Questionable
Illegal
Evil
Imprisoned
Dangerous
Questionable
The word "suspicious" has many negative meanings associated with it. In general, "suspicious activity" is activity that is in some way questionable and not good. It indicates that some kind of secrecy is going on. You might be tempted to pick many of the options that have such bad overtones. Suspicious activity is not, however, essentially illegal activity. Instead, it is just "questionable." For example, you could say, "His explanation was suspicious, so his mother decided to check into the matter further."
Example Question #71 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
RATIONAL
Genius
Logical
Humane
Talented
Angry
Logical
The word "rational" comes from the Latin roots meaning able to reason. Reasoning is just the manner of thinking that we do when we think logically. For example, you might think: "I generally hate any kind of oatmeal. This food is oatmeal. Well, therefore, I likely will hate this food." This is a rational or logical way of thinking.
Example Question #72 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMMATURE
Stupid
Developed
Childish
Responsible
Aged
Childish
When something is "mature," it is fully developed. Sometimes, the word is used to describe food that has become ripe; however, it can also be used to describe someone's personality. For example, a mature adult is someone who takes life seriously, as is appropriate for someone of his or her age. An immature person is someone who is not mature. Thus, the best option among those provided here is "childish."
Example Question #73 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
RELUCTANT
Silent
Hesitant
Brave
Thoughtful
Alert
Hesitant
When someone is "reluctant," he or she hesitates to do some given task. For example, we could say, "Because of her fear of spiders, Courtney was reluctant to enter the old house for fear of finding many of the insects in it." This means that Courtney did not want to enter the house and likely hesitated because of her fears.
Example Question #74 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
INSANE
Disappointing
Imprisoned
Sick
Hospitalized
Crazy
Crazy
The word "insane" is used to describe someone or something that is crazy. For instance, a person who has lost his or her mind would be called "insane". Such a person requires a lot of care to keep himself or herself safe. An "insane idea" is a crazy one. For example, if someone told you that they were going to try to use a pig as a parachute when jumping out of a plane, you could say that the person had an "insane idea."
Example Question #75 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
AGREEABLE
Argumentative
Friendly
Talented
Legal
Joyful
Friendly
When we say that something is "agreeable," we are saying that it is enjoyable (or at least not unenjoyable). For this question, the correct answer is a synonym for the way that we say something like, "He had an agreeable personality." This means that the person had a personality that was on the whole friendly and enjoyable. In a way, you could say that most people would agree to be around such a person!
Example Question #76 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FANATICAL
Famous
Dreary
Dangerous
Enthusiastic
Risky
Enthusiastic
When someone is a "fanatic," he or she intensely follows some way of life. For example, a person might be a fanatic for exercise, meaning that he or she does a lot of exercising. Sometimes, fanatics are dangerous people, as when someone supports a political cause and wants to hurt people; however, "fanatical" does not always have to describe such dangerous characters. It can just describe someone who is very energetic—enthusiastic—for a cause. This is the best answer among those given.
Example Question #77 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TENDER
Angry
Burning
Kind
Religious
Pleasing
Kind
The word "tender" is not "tinder," which is a small kind of wood used for building a fire. Instead, to be "tender" means that you are kind. You could say, "Bill was very tender to his wife, showing her much affection after a stressful day of work." Thus, "kind" is the best option given.
Example Question #78 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ASSERTIVE
Confident
Illegal
Aware
Conceited
Arrogant
Confident
When someone is "assertive," he or she is very confident. This can come off as being arrogant because such a person can be a little pushy, but the primary meaning of assertiveness is the character trait of being confident. Therefore, the best option is simply "confident." Do not be tricked by "conceited" or "arrogant". These are trap options!
Example Question #79 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Personality Traits
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ATTENTIVE
Pliable
Intellectual
Thoughtful
Awake
Delightful
Thoughtful
When someone is "attentive," he or she is very aware of his or her surroundings. Therefore, "attentive" can mean merely to be very aware. None of the options exactly match this meaning, but a secondary meaning of "attentive" is "to be thoughtfully aware of others." This is clearly related to the first meaning, though it is a little more focused. Therefore, the best option is "thoughtful," as this expresses at least the second meaning of "attentive."
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