All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #241 : Sentence Completion
Although there were a number of variations of the painting, they were all derived from a single __________.
artist
image
picture
masterpiece
archetype
archetype
Each of the multiple paintings are considered “derivative” works, meaning that they are “taken from” some preceding work. In this sentence, it is clear that they are all imitations of a single original. Therefore, the most appropriate word here would be “archetype,” meaning (among other things) such an original exemplar from which other like things are derived. The “arche-” prefix means “ancient” or “original,” and “type” means more generally “figure, model, or example.” We sometimes say things like, “The herring is a type of fish,” meaning, “The herring is an example of a fish.”
Example Question #53 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
The old man had lived all of his life as a __________, never settling down but instead following the carnival in order to make a living selling shoes to the clowns.
vagrant
sluggard
leech
bum
carnie
vagrant
Do not be fooled by this sentence into thinking that it calls for “carnie.” The man does not work in the carnival but instead follows it to make a living. When someone does not have a regular job but instead travels about to make his or her living, that person is called a “vagrant.” The word is ultimately derived from the Latin for “to wander.” When something is called “vague,” it is implied that it cannot be understood because it “wanders around the topic” without being explicit and direct.
Example Question #54 : Nouns In One Blank Sentences
Otho saw no reason to act within the boundaries of __________, for he found such conventions to be mere social niceties.
laws
edicts
culture
propriety
regulations
propriety
The key thing to note here is that the “rules” that Otho does not obey are described as being “conventions.” Propriety is the characteristic that one has when he or she follows the generally accepted norms of a society. Such generally accepted norms are said to be “conventional” in nature. The word “proper” has a very strong sense in meaning “strictly conforming to something’s form or nature.” This is derived from much older Latin terms in logic and philosophy. Here, “propriety” (which is related to “proper”) is “conformity with the standard of society.”
Example Question #1562 : Sat Critical Reading
Samantha wanted to make a true __________ on the lives of her students and not merely pass the day without influencing their thought or behavior.
aggrandizement
uplift
impact
education
inspiration
impact
The key expression for this sentence is “without influencing.” In light of the “and not merely,” it is clear that Samantha wishes to have an influence on her students’ lives. Expressed in another manner, she could be said to want to “impact” their lives. By its most direct usage, “impact” means “to strike or hit.” For instance, when a meteor is said to impact the earth. More generally, the word means “to have a strong influence on something else.” This is how the word is being used in the sentence.
Example Question #1563 : Sat Critical Reading
Although most people deprive their body of food for the sake of losing weight, some religious people perform such __________ in order to overcome their physical passions.
tasks
diets
mortifications
undertakings
exaltations
mortifications
The parallel in this sentence is between the notion of “depriving” and the needed word. When someone deprives himself or herself, he or she is said to deny himself or herself of a given good thing. The word “mortification” does not necessarily have the strong sense of “killing” as might be suspected by the “mort-” portion of the word (meaning death, as found in “mortal,” “immortal,” and “morgue”). “Mortification,” might merely mean the process of eliminating or subduing (in a sense “killing off”) the passions of the body. This meaning is used with particular frequency with regard to religious acts of this type, though one can find them in a number of other walks of life as well.
Example Question #75 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
The whipping of the slave led to bleeding __________ on the back of the prisoner.
wounds
lacerations
welts
bruises
lumps
lacerations
For this sentence, the most specific answer is the best one. Many of these options might be acceptable, for even lumps and bruises can also bleed (in addition to being lumps and bruises). The best option is “lacerations,” which are deep cuts in the flesh, which would be wounds almost completely guaranteed to bleed. All the other cases may or may not bleed.
Example Question #191 : Sentence Completion Questions
The image of the apple was starkly visible in the __________ of the painting, standing out from the coffee shop portrayed behind it.
details
stillness
foreground
scenery
background
foreground
The contrast expressed in this sentence is between the apple and the coffee shop, which is apparently behind the apple (as implied by “portrayed behind it [the apple]”). When something sits “in front” of other things so as to be very visible, it is said to be in the “foreground,” literally the “front ground” of the image, view, or painting.
Example Question #161 : Sentence Completions
After ten years of __________, oil was again plenteously available since many new wells had been drilled.
eco-fuel
poverty
scarcity
ethanol
depression
scarcity
The key phrase in this sentence is “once again plenteously available.” It indicates that for a time (i.e. the past ten years), oil was not available in great quantities. When a resource (or any other thing) is “scarce” it is in very limited supply. “Scarcity” is the state of something being “scarce.”
Example Question #242 : Sentence Completion
Timothy acted with __________, never being dissuaded by others from any task to which he set himself.
determination
stubbornness
deafness
inanity
arrogance
determination
When people try to “dissuade” someone from doing something, they attempt to convince that person not to undertake the given task. Since Timothy was never dissuaded by the arguments of others, he could be said to be “resolute,” that is, firm in purpose. The word determination best expresses this. When someone “determines” something, he or she finds the exact meaning or plan for that thing. A determined person has decided on his or her plan and does not give up in pursuit of it.
Example Question #61 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Peter introduced a carefully crafted ___________ into his argument, subtly changing the meaning of one word in the hopes of confusing those trying to follow his reasoning.
contrivance
falsification
equivocation
trickery
lie
equivocation
The subordinate clause beginning with “subtly” is the key to getting this sentence correct. The implication of this clause is that Peter changed the meaning of a word in the middle of making an argument. Perhaps he changed “payment” from its general sense to a specific use of payment that had legal repercussions. Without noticing, he would thus have shifted the argument from a question of “payment” to “paying in a specific legal circumstance.” Equivocation is generally used to describe this kind of loose use of language. In ancient and medieval logic, a “purely equivocal term” would be a word like “bank,” which describes both the edge of a river and the institution into which you put money. With such a word, you certainly could equivocate—change meanings—though it would not be very subtle!
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