All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #66 : Synonyms: Prefixes
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMPIOUS
Respectful
Meaningful
Sacrilegious
Welcoming
Pitiful
Sacrilegious
"Impious" is an adjective that can mean either "not showing respect or reverence, especially for a god," or "wicked" when describing a person or act. So, "respectful" cannot be the correct answer because "respectful" is an antonym of "impious." "Sacrilegious," however, is an adjective that means "treating a holy place or object in a way that does not show proper respect," and because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "impious," it is the correct answer.
Example Question #67 : Synonyms: Prefixes
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
UNWAVERING
Beneficial
Restful
Comfortable
Standard
Resolute
Resolute
When someone “wavers,” he or she moves from side to side, as when something vibrates or wavers in the wind. This term could be applied merely to someone’s walking, but it is often used to describe personal attitudes. If a person, for instance, “Wavers in courage,” he or she is not completely courageous but sometimes loses this disposition, then to regain it, only again to lose it, and so forth. If someone is “unwavering,” that person does not alter in this way and is fixed to some goal. “Unwavering courage” would be bravery in all things, without hesitation or doubt. To be resolute is to be certain and fixed in one’s choices, as when one makes a resolution.
Example Question #51 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PRESAGE
Adorable
Foreshadow
Wise
Precocious
Prodigious
Foreshadow
When used as a verb, the word “presage” means to be a sign of a future event, often implying that this is a sign of warning. The word comes from the prefix “pre-”, meaning before, and the base “sage,” which does not merely mean wise, but to perceive keenly. Someone who is “sagacious” is wise precisely because that person keenly perceives reality. The word would be used in a sentence like, “In many cultures, the flying of a crow over a barn presaged a poor harvest in the coming year.”
Example Question #111 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MISNOMER
aberration
certitude
husbandry
grotto
nexus
aberration
"Misnomer" and "aberration" both mean an error or misjudgment. "Certitude" means sureness or certainty. "Nexus" means the center or core. "Husbandry" means farming or agriculture. "Grotto" means a cave or cavern.
Example Question #112 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BENEDICTION
Guise
Blessing
Antithesis
Sanctuary
Diatribe
Blessing
The prefix ben- means good, virtuous in Latin. Also the root -dict- means to do with speaking. So a "benediction" is a spoken blessing. To provide further help, a "sanctuary" is a safe place; "antithesis" means opposite; a "guise" is a disguise, something to hide one's identity; a "diatribe" is a verbal or written attack.
Example Question #1821 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CEREBRATE
Reason
Protest
Disguise
Outlaw
Ignore
Reason
In Latin the prefix cereb- means related to the brain. So, to "cerebrate" means to think, to reason, to think carefully and logically. "Cereb-" is an extremely strong push toward this question being focused on the brain or thinking, and "reason" was the only option that had anything to do with mental processes.
Example Question #1822 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CLAMOR
Outline
Disagree
Yell
Agree
Whisper
Yell
The prefix clam- means shout, speak out about. So the word "clamor" means to yell, to speak out passionately about. "Clamor" has nothing to do with agreeing or disagreeing, and "whisper" is an antonym to "clamor."
Example Question #1823 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DIGRESSION
Ambition
Reluctance
Departure
Acceptance
Delight
Departure
The Latin prefix di- means away, apart, opposite, as in "disappear" which means vanish, away from sight. So, a "digression" is a departure from the main point, something apart from the thesis. Additionally, "reluctance" is the state of not wanting to do something; "delight" is happiness, joy; "ambition" is a passionate desire to achieve success.
Example Question #116 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
CLAMOR
Narrate
Whisper
Declare
Shout
Forgive
Shout
The Latin prefix clam- means shout, yell, as in "proclaim" which means announce, speak about publicly. So, "clamor" means to shout and yell for something.
Example Question #117 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PREAMBLE
Conclusion
Introduction
Glossary
Index
Thesis
Introduction
The Latin prefix pre- means before, as in "prediction" or "prevent." So, a "preamble" is the introduction to a written work. "Conclusion" is an antonym "introduction" and "preamble." The rest of the terms are academic terms, or sections of a book but are not directly related to "preamble."
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All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
