ISEE Upper Level Verbal : One-Blank Sentences

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #251 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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.

Possible Answers:

lazy

terrified

yellowbellied

pacifist

fearful

Correct answer:

pacifist

Explanation:

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 #421 : One Blank Sentences

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 __________.

Possible Answers:

mettle

tact

perspicacity

vigilance

treachery

Correct answer:

mettle

Explanation:

"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 #233 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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.

Possible Answers:

hermit

vagabond

ne'er-do-well

hedonist

wanderer

Correct answer:

hermit

Explanation:

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 #422 : One Blank Sentences

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.

Possible Answers:

resonance

decoration

plethora

plumage

ensconce

Correct answer:

plumage

Explanation:

"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 #1750 : Sat Critical Reading

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.

Possible Answers:

prediction

rehearsal

comparison

regression

candor

Correct answer:

comparison

Explanation:

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 #234 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

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.

Possible Answers:

consensus

disagreement

contention 

foreboding

detraction

Correct answer:

consensus

Explanation:

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 #423 : One Blank Sentences

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.

Possible Answers:

echelon

aristocrat

bureaucrat

functionary

nobleman

Correct answer:

echelon

Explanation:

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 #424 : One Blank Sentences

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. 

Possible Answers:

arrogation

tapering

beseeching

abrogation

banishment

Correct answer:

abrogation

Explanation:

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 #1753 : 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.

Possible Answers:

habit

chimeric

nomenclature

deportment

ego

Correct answer:

deportment

Explanation:

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 #1754 : Sat Critical Reading

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. 

Possible Answers:

furlough

dismissal

recall

exodus

petard

Correct answer:

furlough

Explanation:

The sentence is referencing an allowed break from service, so the appropriate answer choice is “furlough.” 

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