ISEE Middle Level Verbal : Sentence Completions: Context Clues

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #84 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

The __________ student will stop at nothing to get what he wants; no matter the sacrifice, no matter the constant work.

Possible Answers:

apathetic 

loquacious 

ambitious

selfless 

quarrelsome 

Correct answer:

ambitious

Explanation:

In this sentence you are told that the student will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He is willing to work hard and has goals in mind that drive him forward. He is therefore "ambitious." "Ambitious" means driven, determined to reach certain goals. To provide further help, "selfless" means not selfish, generous; "apathetic" means uncaring; "quarrelsome" means argumentative, inclined towards fighting; "loquacious" means talkative.

Example Question #85 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

He found the instructions much too __________ so he called his father to ask for help.

Possible Answers:

facile

complex

simple

effortless

elementary

Correct answer:

complex

Explanation:

If the subject had to call his father for help it makes sense that he found the instructions too difficult to understand. The correct answer then is "complex," which means consisting of many different parts and very hard to understand. To provide further help the other four answers are all antonyms of "complex," they all mean easy, easy to understand.

Example Question #86 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

It was a wet and __________ day in southern England and she really did not want to get out of bed.

Possible Answers:

dreary

perpetual

lustrous

voracious

coherent

Correct answer:

dreary

Explanation:

Based on the context of this sentence you are looking for something that matches with a "wet" day in which someone might be inspired not to get out of bed by the terrible weather. The correct answer then is "dreary" which means dull, uninspiring, and depressing. To provide further help, "lustrous" means shiny; "voracious" means not easily satisfied, greedy, having an immense desire to eat; "perpetual" means lasting forever; "coherent" means able to be understood.

Example Question #87 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

I am still ___________ by the memory of my failures in high school soccer.

Possible Answers:

refuted 

vexed 

implored 

encouraged 

beckoned 

Correct answer:

vexed 

Explanation:

The author is talking about his "failings" so it makes sense that his memory of them would be exasperating, annoying, or frustrating. These words are all synonyms of "vexed," which means annoyed by, confused and frustrated by. Additionally, "encouraged" means supported; "implored" means begged, urged; "beckoned" means summoned, called someone towards; "refuted" means argued against, disputed, proved wrong

Example Question #88 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

The shelter is full of many sick and malnourished dogs who have suffered under the __________ treatment of their owners.

Possible Answers:

expensive 

convoluted 

posthumous

inhumane 

perpetual 

Correct answer:

inhumane 

Explanation:

The dogs in the shelter are "sick and malnourished" (under-fed), so it makes sense that they would have been treated with a lack of compassion, with cruelty. So, the correct answer is "inhumane," which means without compassion, cruel, malicious. Additionally, "posthumous" means after death; "perpetual" means eternal, lasting forever; "convoluted" means complex and hard to understand; "expensive" means costing a lot of money.

Example Question #89 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

Although Laura was happy with killing off most of the insects in the house, Paula wanted to __________ them completely.

Possible Answers:

eradicate

reduce

deteriorate

destroy

kill

Correct answer:

eradicate

Explanation:

This sentence expresses a kind of intensification in its comparison of Laura and Paula. Paula apparently wants to kill every last bug in the house. A great word for this would be "exterminate," but that option is not given. The word "eradicate" expresses this notion of totally killing as well.  (Hence, it is better than "kill" or "destroy.") The word "eradicate" comes from Latin bases that mean, to take out the roots. Imagine if you were to rip out the roots of a tree. This would involve totally eliminating the tree.

Example Question #90 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

At first,Vincent did not care about Jordan's bad health decisions, but when he realized that his friend might die, he  ___________ him to stop smoking three packs of cigarettes every hour, hoping that his frequent remarks would convince Jordan of the stupidity of his actions.

Possible Answers:

inquired

strengthened

asked

implored

forced

Correct answer:

implored

Explanation:

Since the sentence says at the end that Vincent wanted to convince Jordan, we know that he must be asking him to stop his smoking and not forcing him to do so. Now, we also know that Vincent is doing this frequently. This hints that he is very worried and is asking his friend to stop in a very devoted manner. Whenever we implore someone to do something, we ask him or her regularly and earnestly to stop. This kind of asking is hinted at by the sentence, so "implore" is the best option.

Example Question #91 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

The teacher's _____________ voice was so boring that his entire class fell to sleep as he droned on about the otherwise exciting topic.

Possible Answers:

exhausting

speaking

monotonous

lecturing

musical

Correct answer:

monotonous

Explanation:

This sentence indicates on several occasions that the teachers voice itself is very boring. We have words like "boring" and "droned" that make us think of a voice that is very tedious and unchanging. Whenever someone is "monotonous," he or she has a voice that does not change its pitch very much at all. The word comes from the prefix "mono-" and the stem "-tonous", meaning one-sounded. A monotonous voice can become very boring, very quickly, so it is understandable that the students in question fell asleep—even though the topic itself was interesting!

Example Question #92 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

The two men decided to ___________ the carpet that they had removed from the house, using the flames to get rid of the large amounts of fabric.

Possible Answers:

incinerate

scorch

eliminate

burn

char

Correct answer:

incinerate

Explanation:

The two men apparently want to destroy the carpet with a fire. Now, it would be acceptable to choose "burn", but the word "incinerate" is just a little bit better of an option. It means, to destroy with fire. This is a little more accurate and detailed about just what the two men are doing.

Example Question #93 : Sentence Completions: Style, Intensity, And Connotation

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

Many details are not very important when investigating a crime. One or two ____________ facts are often all that are needed to solve a case.

Possible Answers:

crucial

enlightening

determinate

circumstantial

interesting

Correct answer:

crucial

Explanation:

This sentence implies a contrast between two kinds of facts. On the one hand, there are unimportant facts. There are many of these, and they do not help in solving many investigations. On the other hand, there are facts that are important and do help in solving cases. Whenever something is "crucial," it is very important. This is the only option that expresses this general idea about being "very important."

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