ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Adjectives and Adverbs in One-Blank Sentences

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #161 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

The __________ knitter predicted the fashion trend toward homemade goods and started an online store, making a lot of money selling the scarves, hats, and mittens that she made.

Possible Answers:

undiscerning

wholesome

minute

portable

astute

Correct answer:

astute

Explanation:

For this sentence, we can infer that the knitter must have been pretty smart to "[predict] the fashion trend toward homemade goods." So, we need to pick out an adjective to describe the knitter that means something like "smart." "Undiscerning," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "undiscerning" means "lacking judgment, insight, or taste," making it the opposite of the word for which we're looking. "Astute," however, is an adjective that means "having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage," and because "astute" best describes the knitter's profitable assessment of the fashion trend, "astute" is the correct answer.

Example Question #162 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.

It typically takes years of __________ practicing in order to become a virtuoso piano player.

Possible Answers:

animated

austere

astringent

anomalous

assiduous

Correct answer:

assiduous

Explanation:

The choice that makes the most sense is assiduous: showing great care and perseverance; diligent.

Example Question #163 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.

The __________ coach was thrown out of the game by the referee.

Possible Answers:

callous

arcane

captious

contentious

arable

Correct answer:

contentious

Explanation:

The choice that makes the most sense is contentious: quarrelsome; causing or likely to cause an argument.

Example Question #164 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.

The __________ leader’s shaky voice was a signal to the brave troops that they would be on their own for the remainder of the battle.

Possible Answers:

cloying

craven

cavalier

categorical

caustic

Correct answer:

craven

Explanation:

The choice that makes the most sense is craven: contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.

Example Question #681 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.

You should be __________ of the perilous journey that lies ahead.

Possible Answers:

wistful

vindictive

wry

vicarious

wary

Correct answer:

wary

Explanation:

The choice that makes the most sense is wary: feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems.

Example Question #682 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.

The inmate stopped the flattery and began to speak with a more __________ tone after he realized the guards would never be coaxed into releasing him.

Possible Answers:

veritable

valedictory

vituperative

visceral

venal

Correct answer:

vituperative

Explanation:

The choice that makes the most sense is vituperative: bitter and abusive; scolding.

Example Question #683 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Select the answer choice that best completes the blank in the sentence.

Although I enjoyed your essay, it would be better if it were more concise and not as __________.

Possible Answers:

verbose

venal

venerable

veritable

venial

Correct answer:

verbose

Explanation:

The choice that makes the most sense is verbose: using more words than are needed.

Example Question #684 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Pick the best word to complete the sentence.

Children of authoritarian parents are often anxious; they can become __________ easily.

Possible Answers:

underwhelmed

antisocial

stressed

sensitive

difficult

Correct answer:

stressed

Explanation:

The clause that needs filling-in is simply a rephrasing of the first part of the setence—"stressed" is the closest synonym of anxious and therefore makes the most sense in the sentence.

Example Question #685 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Pick the best word to complete the sentence.

The young boy offered her his hand, grinning __________, since he knew it was still covered in mud.

Possible Answers:

awkwardly

famously

playfully

mistakenly

devilishly

Correct answer:

devilishly

Explanation:

The subject of the sentence knows that he is going to cause someone displeasure, therefore he is being mischeivous—"devilish," when used in this context, means the same thing; therefore "devilishly" is the correct answer.

Example Question #121 : Adjectives And Adverbs In One Blank Sentences

Fred's family only realized how __________ he was about failing the math quiz he had studied for when he shouted at the first person to ask him about it.

Possible Answers:

prepared

nimble

touchy

charismatic

famous

Correct answer:

touchy

Explanation:

We can infer that because Fred "shouted at the first person to ask him about [the math quiz he failed]," we need to pick out an adjective to describe Fred that means something like "irritable." "Charismatic" might look like a potentially correct answer, but "charismatic" is an adjective that means "exercising a compelling charm that inspires devotion in others," so it wouldn't make sense in the sentence's context. "Touchy," however, is an adjective that means "oversensitive and irritable" when being used to refer to a person, and because "touchy" best describes Fred's irritable mood, "touchy" is the correct answer.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors