ISEE Middle Level Verbal : Sentence Completions

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #122 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

He wanted to __________ his father, so he studied medicine at the same university to which his father had gone.

Possible Answers:

raze

emulate

reinforce

demean

absolve

Correct answer:

emulate

Explanation:

Because the person being described in the sentence studied medicine at the same university as his father, we may determine that he wanted to copy or mirror his father. This leads to the correct answer, which is “emulate.” To "emulate" someone means to match that person's achievements, usually through copying them. As for the other answer choices, “reinforce” means strengthen or fortify; “demean” means lessen, ridicule or bully; “absolve” means free from guilt; and “raze” means destroy or level to the ground.

Example Question #123 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

Sentence completions: Choose the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

She was kicked out of school because she could not __________ to the rules.

Possible Answers:

appraise

admonish

detain

flounder

adhere

Correct answer:

adhere

Explanation:

It makes sense that someone would be kicked out of school for not sticking to the rules, and "adhere” means to stick or to listen to specific rules. “Admonish” means criticize or punish; “appraise” means evaluate or determine the worth of; “detain” means hold prisoner or keep someone in a given place for longer than that person planned; “flounder” means struggle, thrash about, or flail.

Example Question #124 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

Her mother warned her that if she did not __________ the warnings of her teachers she would get into big trouble.

Possible Answers:

ignore

reproach

depict

heed

entice

Correct answer:

heed

Explanation:

From context, it seems likely that the mother is warning the girl to listen to or pay attention to the warnings of her teacher. The word “heed” means pay attention to or listen to, so "heed" is the correct answer. As for the other answer choices, “depict” means show or represent something visually; “reproach” means criticize or punish; “entice” means attract, allure, or tempt someone; and "ignore" means purposely not pay attention to.

Example Question #125 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

The government tried to __________ the uprising by sending in the militia to suppress the media.

Possible Answers:

quell

exacerbate

ostracize

engender

intensify

Correct answer:

quell

Explanation:

It makes sense that the government would send in the militia to try to stop the uprising. The correct answer is therefore “quell,” which means end, crush, or assuage bad feelings. As for the other answer choices, “exacerbate” and “intensify” both mean make a bad situation worse; “ostracize” means banish or exclude; and “engender” means create or encourage.

Example Question #126 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

The professor handed out a survey at the end of the semester to try to __________ the views of his students on the course.

Possible Answers:

preempt

undermine

belittle

solicit

underwhelm

Correct answer:

solicit

Explanation:

When you try to get the views of a group of people, you “solicit” their opinion. As for the other answer choices, “preempt” means take action to prevent something from happening; “underwhelm” means let down and dissatisfy; “undermine” means subvertdamage, or sabotage; and “belittle” means mock or cruelly make fun of by making someone feel unimportant.

Example Question #127 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

The thieves __________ the home looking for valuable items, but despite their speedy search, they could not find anything.

Possible Answers:

ransacked

deserted

collapsed

reprimanded

abducted

Correct answer:

ransacked

Explanation:

When you search desperately for something, are in a hurry, and cause damage along the way, you can describe what you are doing as “ransacking” a given location. As for the other answer choices, "deserted” means abandoned or left behind; “collapsed” means fold something down so that it takes up less space; “abducted” means kidnapped or taken by someone against the will of the person being taken; and “reprimanded” means scolded or punished.

Example Question #128 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

The __________ of several properties greatly increased the wealth of the investment company.

Possible Answers:

enumeration

pacification

eradication

indoctrination

acquisition

Correct answer:

acquisition

Explanation:

Because whatever happened with the properties increased the wealth of the investment company, you can probably imagine that whatever happened must have been useful to them. “Eradication” means destruction, so this makes no sense. “Enumeration” means the act of making a list, so this is entirely unrelated. “Pacification” means the act of eliminating a threat or making something less hostile; this could perhaps be a correct answer, but we will have to wait and see if it is the strongest. “Indoctrination” means manipulation or the causing of people to adopt certain beliefs; this is not a good answer choice. Finally, “acquisition” means the act of obtaining or getting. If the investment company obtained several properties, this would definitely increase their wealth; this is therefore the best answer choice.

Example Question #129 : Sentence Completions: Verbs

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

The teacher would not allow his students to complain vaguely; they had to __________ their grievances thoroughly and clearly.

Possible Answers:

question

whisper

condemn

shout

express

Correct answer:

express

Explanation:

The sentence merely indicates that the students were not permitted to state vague complaints. They had to state them or communicate them in a clear manner. It does not indicate anything regarding the tone of voice that they should use for this. Therefore, the best option among those given is "express," which can merely indicate the communicating of one's thoughts.

Example Question #2199 : Isee Middle Level (Grades 7 8) Verbal Reasoning

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

The curtain __________ in the breeze, knocking Jose's papers to the ground.

Possible Answers:

billowed

savaged

obliterated

drapes

blunderbuss

Correct answer:

billowed

Explanation:

Based on the location of the blank in the sentence, we know that the curtain did something that would knock papers to the ground. This means the missing word is a verb. "Blunderbuss" and "drapes" are nouns, so they can be eliminated. "Billowed" means to flutter or wave. "Obliterated" means to destroy

Example Question #951 : Sentence Completions

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

The rabbit __________ under the bush when it was surrounded by wolves.

Possible Answers:

perturbed

skirmish

listlessly

heckled

cowered

Correct answer:

cowered

Explanation:

We can infer from the sentence that the rabbit is frightened since it is "surrounded by wolves." Based on the placement of the missing word, we also know that the rabbit did something under the bush. This means the missing word must be a verb. "Skirmish" is a noun meaning a minor battle. "Perturbed" is an adjective meaning annoyed and "listlessly" is an adverb that means without energy. This leaves only "cowered" and "heckled" as possibilities. "Cowered" means to hide or shrink away from something. A dog might cower when it thinks it will be spanked. "Heckled" means to shout insults at someone. You might heckle a politician or performer when giving a speech.

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