All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
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.
undiscerning
wholesome
minute
portable
astute
astute
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.
animated
austere
astringent
anomalous
assiduous
assiduous
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.
callous
arcane
captious
contentious
arable
contentious
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.
cloying
craven
cavalier
categorical
caustic
craven
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.
wistful
vindictive
wry
vicarious
wary
wary
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.
veritable
valedictory
vituperative
visceral
venal
vituperative
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 __________.
verbose
venal
venerable
veritable
venial
verbose
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.
underwhelmed
antisocial
stressed
sensitive
difficult
stressed
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.
awkwardly
famously
playfully
mistakenly
devilishly
devilishly
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.
prepared
nimble
touchy
charismatic
famous
touchy
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.
All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
