ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Verbs

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #131 : Verbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

For his science project, Bobby had to __________ nature and identify the plants and animals in his backyard.

Possible Answers:

neglect

avoid

see

ignore

observe

Correct answer:

observe

Explanation:

The correct answer is "observe," which means to watch carefully and pay attention to. "Neglect" and "ignore" are opposites of "observe." "See," a verb which means look at, could make sense, but "observe" is the better answer choice because if you observe something, you watch it carefully and pay attention to it, and this care and attention are not part of the meaning of "see."

Example Question #132 : Verbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

To help the environment, one should try to __________ the number of plastic bottles one uses.

Possible Answers:

reduce

discuss

stop

maximize

count

Correct answer:

reduce

Explanation:

The correct answer is "reduce." "Reduce" means make smaller or lessen. The other words can all make sense grammatically in the sentence, but reduce makes the most sense given that the sentence begins with the phrase "To help the environment."

Example Question #133 : Verbs

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

When the doctors arrived on the scene, I was unsure if they could __________ him, but thankfully those brilliant and humble men worked tirelessly until he regained consciousness.

Possible Answers:

supplant 

conjecture

convict 

revive 

expose 

Correct answer:

revive 

Explanation:

The context of the sentence tells us that the doctors worked tirelessly to bring the man back to consciousness, and this is the meaning of the word “revive.” In English, the root "viv" means life or living as in “revive,” “survive,” “vitality,” and “vitamins." None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: when used as a verb, “convict” means successfully bring criminal charges against in court, and when used as a noun, a "convict" is a criminal; “expose” means reveal; to “conjecture” is to guess; and “supplant” means replace.

Example Question #134 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The tennis match had to be __________ because of the rain; they plan to finish the game tomorrow.

Possible Answers:

finished

postponed

restored

stopped

outlawed

Correct answer:

postponed

Explanation:

When you put something off to be continued later, you “postpone” it. So, because the tennis match was stopped because of the rain and planned to be finished the next day, the correct answer is “postponed.” The word “outlawed” means banned or not allowed, and “restored” means put back into original condition.

Example Question #135 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The secretary can __________ his chair so that he can see the whole office; this is useful because it means anyone in the office can get his attention.

Possible Answers:

dispose 

replenish

demolish

swivel

undulate 

Correct answer:

swivel

Explanation:

The context of the sentence tells you that the secretary can rotate his chair so that he can focus on the whole office. You are therefore looking for an answer choice that has a similar meaning to "rotate." The correct answer is therefore "swivel." To provide further help, "demolish" means destroy, tear down; "replenish" means refuel, restock; "dispose" means throw away; "undulate" means wave.

Example Question #136 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The teacher felt that his work could be improved with a few changes so she asked him to go home and __________ it a little.

Possible Answers:

postpone 

prefer 

sprint 

conceal 

alter

Correct answer:

alter

Explanation:

In this sentence the teacher asks the student to go home and change his work. Based on the structure of this sentence you know that the blank word must be a verb that means "change." The correct answer is therefore "alter." To provide further help, "postpone" means delay until later; "sprint" means run fast; "conceal" means hide; "prefer" means like more than another thing

Example Question #137 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

It was a beautiful sunny day in the middle of the summer and all the children were out to __________ happily by the river. 

Possible Answers:

labor

retire 

panic 

frolic 

consume

Correct answer:

frolic 

Explanation:

The children who are the subject of this sentence are doing something happily by the side of the river in summertime. From context we can reasonably infer that the children are playing, so you need to find an answer choice that means something similar to "play." The correct answer is "frolic" which means to play, to have fun. To provide further help, "labor" means work; "consume" means eat; "retire" means stop working, stop doing something; "panic" means to freak out

Example Question #138 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Bananas do not usually grow in the United States so they need to be __________ from abroad.

Possible Answers:

imported 

spurred 

detached 

shrouded 

irked 

Correct answer:

imported 

Explanation:

To solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices refers to the action of bringing a product into a country from abroad. The correct answer is therefore "imported." The opposite of "import" is "export" which means to send products to another country. So, bananas are "exported" from Costa Rica and "imported" into the United States. Additionally, "detached," when used as a verb, means separated, broken up, split; "spurred" means encouraged, helped on; "irked" means annoyed, frustrated, angered; "shrouded" means concealed or hidden

Example Question #139 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The young girl asked her grandfather to __________ the moment that he fell in love with her grandmother.

Possible Answers:

recollect

forsake

navigate

strive

subtract

Correct answer:

recollect

Explanation:

To solve this problem you have to determine which of these answer choices means to remember specific things from the past. The correct answer is therefore "recollect." Synonyms of "recollect" include recall, remember, think back to. Additionally, subtract" means take away from; "forsake" means abandon, desert, forget; "strive" means work hard for; "navigate" means to plan and guide the movement of a vehicle.

Example Question #140 : Verbs

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Miners go deep into the Earth to __________ precious metals and gems.

Possible Answers:

contradict

merge

extract

petrify

revert

Correct answer:

extract

Explanation:

Based on the context of this sentence you are looking for an answer choice that means to remove, to take from a place. The correct answer is therefore "extract." Synonyms of "extract" include withdraw, remove, take out, take from. Additionally, "revert" means to back to a previous state; "petrify" means to shock or stun; "merge" means to mix, to blend; "contradict" means argue against.

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