All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #162 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
REWARD
Wealth
Extra
Repay
Announce
Declare
Repay
In this question, the word "reward" is being used as a verb. You can eliminate the possible noun option "wealth." While rewards might be sums of money, they are not essentially a matter of wealth. Instead, they are awards, prizes, or honors given for some reason. As a verb, "reward" can mean, to give (an award), but it can also have the sense of repaying someone. For example, you would say, "For his hard work, he was rewarded with a trip to the movie theater." This is the sense used for this question.
Example Question #111 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ALERT
Whisper
Warn
Respect
Scream
Frequent
Warn
When used as a noun, "alert" indicates a kind of warning. As a verb, it means to warn or to make aware. Thus, you would say, "I alerted him about the dangerous ice on the stairs before he left the building." This means that you warned him about it.
Example Question #163 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FREE
Release
Elated
Inexpensive
Minimal
Detain
Release
For this question, you must realize that "free" is being used as a verb, as when you say, "I freed the trapped bird." Therefore, do not be tricked by the trap answers "minimal" and (especially) "inexpensive." These are trying to make you think of the adjective forms of "free;" If this question were using free in that way, then it would not be "inexpensive" but "costless." Free things are not merely inexpensive; they cost nothing. Therefore, the best option is "release," for when you free something, you release it.
Example Question #161 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DISPUTE
Awareness
Destroy
Anger
Discuss
Lighten
Discuss
The word "dispute" can be used as a noun or as a verb. As a verb, it means to disagree about something, to debate about something, or (at least) to discuss something because of disagreement. Thus, we can say, "Katherine disputed the claim that her computer needed a new screen. She knew that something else was wrong with it and therefore tried to convince her brother not to buy the expensive new display." The word can also be used as a noun to describe the actual act of debating. Thus, there can be "a dispute" between two people—meaning that there is the activity of disagreeing and debating. The best option here "discuss," which is closest to the proper meaning of "dispute" used as a verb.
Example Question #165 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TROUBLE
Bother
Destroy
Scarcity
Surprise
Fanciful
Bother
This question could be confusing, for it is using "trouble" as a verb. We often think of the noun "trouble," which means problem or difficulty. We also can say something like, "The loud sound troubled her, and she could not sleep." This means that it bothered her. Sometimes, we do say "a trouble" in a way similar to a bother (or, at least, "a bothersome thing").
Example Question #166 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PLANT
Grown
Wild
Place
Lush
Tree
Place
For this question, you must be very careful. While a tree is a kind of plant, it is not synonymous with the word. Likewise, while plants do grow, the word "grown" is not appropriate either. It is neither synonymous nor the same part of speech. Instead, "plant" is being used here as a verb. When you "plant your feet on the ground," this means that you place them firmly on the ground. Thus, the simple word "place" is the best option!
Example Question #171 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ALARM
Realize
Wake
Loud
Attack
Frighten
Frighten
The word "alarm" has several meanings. As a verb, it means to surprise or frighten. For example, you could say, "The news was so alarming that Peter was unable to sleep for three days." This means that it was so surprising or unsettling that he was unable to be at peace for days. It can also be used as a noun to indicate a sound, a warning, or even the emotional state of being surprised. For this question, the meaning being used is the verb definition "frightening." Do not be confused by options like "wake" or "loud," which are trying to get you to think of "alarm clocks."
Example Question #172 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FISH
Search
Enhance
Aquatic
Food
Flesh
Search
Do not be tricked. This question is not immediately about the fish we find in water. Instead, the word "fish" is being used as a verb. Now, when we go fishing, we are looking for the small creatures in water. The verb "to fish" has an extended meaning. It can mean to search. Have you ever heard someone say, "I fished around in the attic but just couldn't find the item"? This means that the person searched around—like looking for fish, though actually looking for some other item. This is the meaning being implied in this question. Do not be tricked by "flesh" or "aquatic." These are not immediate synonyms for "fish" even when the word is used to describe the little animals in the sea.
Example Question #173 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FORK
Poke
Placemat
Grill
Set
Divide
Divide
While we usually use "fork" as a noun for the utensil that we use for eating, it actually is related to a verb that means to divide. Indeed, the prongs on a fork are divided, right? That is why the words are related; however, we use "fork" about many other things. For example, the "fork in a road" has nothing to do with there being a metal utensil in the road! It means that the road splits. It is in this sense that the word is being used in this question. The best option matching this meaning is "divide." None of the others are synonyms for any sense of the word "fork."
Example Question #174 : Isee Lower Level (Grades 5 6) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PRODUCE
Machines
Recruit
Worker
Employ
Vegetables
Vegetables
Be careful! The word "produce" can be a verb meaning to make. It can also be used to describe the thing that has been made. It is like "products." The word "produce" almost always means the plants that have been grown. Think of the "produce section" in the grocery store. Thus, strangely, the best option is "vegetables"! Do not be tricked by the "making-related" words like "recruit," "employ," or "worker." While related to production, these are not synonyms for "produce" in any sense.
Certified Tutor