ISEE Lower Level Verbal : Verbs

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #71 : Verbs

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

In order to __________ her children to finish their chores in a timely manner, Kelly offered to take them to the beach after they finished their chores.

Possible Answers:

entice

ask

invite

demand

Correct answer:

entice

Explanation:

Kelly appears to be offering her children a reward in order to convince or encourage them to finish their chores, so we need to pick out a verb for the blank that means something like "offer a reward in order to convince or encourage." "Entice" means tempt or convince and makes the most sense in the blank of all the available answer choices, so it is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, "ask" means request or put a question to, "invite" means extend an invitation to something; and "demand" means command.

Example Question #72 : Verbs

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

One of the magician's tricks was __________ a caged rabbit into a caged tiger and back, and he refused to tell how it was that the animals appeared to change into one another.

Possible Answers:

vanishing

blocking

transforming

becoming

painting

Correct answer:

transforming

Explanation:

We know from the sentence that the animals appeared to change into one another, so we need to pick out a verb for the blank that means something like changing. While "vanishing" might look like a potentially correct answer because magician's tricks often have to do with making things "vanish," or disappear, that is not the case in this sentence, so "vanishing" cannot be the correct answer. Similarly, while "becoming" is similar in meaning to "changing," "becoming" cannot be used with "into" following it—you don't "become into" something. So, "becoming" cannot be the correct answer either. "Transform," however, means change the form of. Because "transform" best fits the context and grammatical structure of the sentence, it is the correct answer.

Example Question #73 : Verbs

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

"Meow," said the youngster, attempting to __________ the cat.

Possible Answers:

pet

comb

bathe

nourish

mimic

Correct answer:

mimic

Explanation:

Although every word is grammatically correct, saying "meow" fits best with the youngster attempting to "mimic" (copy) the cat, as saying "meow" would not represent an attempt to "bathe," "pet," "nourish," or comb the cat.

Example Question #74 : Verbs

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

The traveler's family waited for her to show up at the baggage claim area after her plane _________ at the airport.

Possible Answers:

sung

arrived

disembarked

left

boarded

Correct answer:

arrived

Explanation:

We can infer that because "[t]he traveler's family [was waiting] for her to show up at the baggage claim area," they must have expected her to reach her destination and show up soon. So, we need to pick out a verb to describe the plane that means something like show up. While "boarded" and "disembarked" may each look like potentially correct answers, neither can be used to describe the plane, only the passengers getting on and off of it, so neither can be the correct answer. Similarly, "left" cannot be the correct answer because it would not make sense for the traveler's family to be expecting her to show up if she was on a plane that just left. Plus, "left" would not make grammatical sense in the sentence—a plane would not "leave at" a destination. "Arrived," however, is a verb that means reached a destination, and because "arrived" best fits the context of the sentence, "arrived" is the correct answer.

Example Question #75 : Verbs

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

Before saying the speech in front of her class from memory, Jessica ___________ her speech in front of her parents.

Possible Answers:

examined

recited

expressed

recorded

reviewed

Correct answer:

recited

Explanation:

The correct answer choice is one that means practice saying something out loud from memory, or "recite." "Express" means state; "examine" means thoroughly look at something; and "review" means look over something again.

Example Question #76 : Verbs

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

Since Ted was acting up in class, the teacher __________ him from class in order to teach the other children without distractions.

Possible Answers:

kept

separated

dismissed

retained

detained

Correct answer:

dismissed

Explanation:

We can infer that the teacher probably removed Ted from the classroom setting because whatever she did she did "in order to teach the other children without distractions." Therefore, it was likely that she "dismissed" Ted, as "dismissed" in this context means sent away. "Retain" means keep and "detain" means forcibly hold back or in a particular location.

Example Question #77 : Verbs

Fill in the blank with the word that best completes the sentence.

The musician needed inspiration in order to __________ a new song.

Possible Answers:

bargain

develop

foster

construct

compose

Correct answer:

compose

Explanation:

When musicians create songs, they "compose" songs. "Develop" also means create, but it does not fit the sentence's context as well as "compose" does, as "develop" is not used to talk about creating music, but "compose" is. "Construct" means build; "bargain" means agreement or good deal; and "foster" means promote.

Example Question #78 : Verbs

Greg decided to __________ a letter to his Grandma, who lived in Russia.

Possible Answers:

eat

send

grow

free

fight

Correct answer:

send

Explanation:

A person sends a letter.

Example Question #78 : Verbs

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

In order to __________ the bread for a longer period of time, it was placed in the freezer so that it would have a longer shelf life.

Possible Answers:

displace

preserve

abandon

increase

diminish

Correct answer:

preserve

Explanation:

When bread is put in the freezer, it is to "preserve" the bread, or keep it in its current condition, so that it can be used for a longer period of time. "Increase" would be an incorrect choice, since putting bread in the freezer doesn't increase the amount of bread that one has on hand.

Example Question #79 : Verbs

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

In art class, Darryl used colored pencils to __________ a scene from his favorite book.

Possible Answers:

forget

write

run

perform

illustrate

Correct answer:

illustrate

Explanation:

Since the sentence tells us that Darryl "used colored pencils," we can assume that he was either writing or drawing, since none of the other answer choices involve pencils or other writing instruments. In picking between "illustrate," which means to depict a story with pictures, and "write," "illustrate" is the better answer because we know that Darryl was "in art class," so it more reasonable that he would be drawing, not writing, a scene from his favorite book. So, "illustrate" is the correct answer.

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