All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #421 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Nathanael differed significantly from his peers, for while the latter were eager to support and to fight in the war, he personally had markedly __________ sentiments, thinking all war to be destructive nonsense.
fearful
pacifist
terrified
lazy
yellowbellied
pacifist
Since Nathanael’s reason for objecting to the war are based upon his thought out opinions, it is not fair to say that they derive from cowardice, as is implied by a number of the options. Instead, the best thing to say in this sentence is that he desires peace. When someone is a “pacifist,” he or she believes that war or violence are not able to be legitimated. The word is derived from the Latin for peace and is found in English words like “pacify,” “pacific,” and “appease.”
Example Question #422 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Tommy's older brother told him that he had to try the spiciest hot sauce; it would test his __________.
perspicacity
treachery
mettle
tact
vigilance
mettle
"Mettle" is correct because it means strength of spirit or disposition. If Tommy can handle the spiciest hot sauce, he must be strong.
Example Question #423 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The old man, after years of active public life, decided to live his life as an isolated __________, devoting his life to reading, writing, and reflection.
hedonist
ne'er-do-well
hermit
vagabond
wanderer
hermit
The key word here is “isolated.” Nothing else in the sentence gives us a particular indication of the old man’s character or the ends to which he wishes to devote his reading, writing, and reflection. The word “hermit,” though often having religious overtones, can mean merely “living a solitary life.”
Example Question #424 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The ornate __________ of the peacock attracted the tourists' attention in the wild animal park.
ensconce
plumage
resonance
plethora
decoration
plumage
"Plumage" works the best here since it means "feathers of a bird," and a peacock is a bird that would have ornate feathers.
Example Question #425 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
It is very difficult to draw an accurate __________ between pre-Industrial European society and modern European society.
prediction
comparison
rehearsal
candor
regression
comparison
In this sentence the word “between” provides a clue to the blank word. You know that it must be describing some form of evaluation of the differences between pre-Industrial and modern European society. Prediction, rehearsal (practice), and candor (honesty and directness of character) all fail to fit comfortably within the sentence. Regression, which means to return to a less developed situation,could potentially fit if there were some other reference to a movement backwards. As there is not, the correct answer is comparison, which means the process of examining the differences or similarities in two or more things.
Example Question #426 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
There was a strong __________ among the coworkers that the sandwich shop next to their building was by far the best option for lunch.
disagreement
contention
foreboding
detraction
consensus
consensus
The context of the sentence tells us that the word should involve agreement, as all of the coworkers concur that the sandwich shop is the best restaurant at which to eat lunch. "Consensus" means an agreement reached by a group, so "consensus" is the correct answer because it best fits the sentence's context.
Example Question #1752 : Sat Critical Reading
Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.
In some stratified and hierarchical societies, each higher __________ has a certain set of prerogatives denied to those considered as being “beneath” their superiors.
functionary
bureaucrat
echelon
aristocrat
nobleman
echelon
The only thing implied by our sentence is that some higher “layers” of society have certain views of themselves. All of the wrong options imply too much specificity regarding such strata. The word “echelon” merely means a level in society or an organization. It comes—at several levels of remove—from the Latin word for “ladder” through later French versions of the same word. Each “echelon” is like a step on the ladder.
Example Question #427 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The members of the transit workers union came out in force, striking to support the __________ of the law that had been preventing the improvement of overtime wage rates.
banishment
arrogation
abrogation
tapering
beseeching
abrogation
While several of the answer choices may have to do with appeals or “doing away with,” the correct choice, "abrogation," is the BEST answer choice, referring to the repeal of a law or formal agreement. The other potential choices reference formal codes or laws, but aren’t directly related to the repeal or dissolution of laws or agreements.
Example Question #1754 : Sat Critical Reading
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The old man had a sweet __________ with his grandchildren, but was ornery with the assistants in the nursing home.
nomenclature
deportment
chimeric
ego
habit
deportment
The sentence creates a contrast with the word “but,” so the correct answer choice will be an antonym “ornery.” Since the sentence already has the word “sweet” provided, the correct answer choice will be a reference to a character or personality. “Deportment” fills this meaning.
Example Question #341 : Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The sailor was allowed a ten-day __________ in order to attend to the estate of his late father.
exodus
furlough
dismissal
recall
petard
furlough
The sentence is referencing an allowed break from service, so the appropriate answer choice is “furlough.”
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All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
