ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Sentence Completion

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #300 : One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The elaborate __________ were constructed to provide the city with a regular water supply derived from the melting snow in the distant mountains.

Possible Answers:

channels

aquariums

sewers

pipelines

aquifers

Correct answer:

aquifers

Explanation:

Since the sentence does not indicate any specific means by which the water was being supplied, the best option will be the one that is most general, only implying the general function of “carrying water.”  The word “aquifer” is derived from Latin roots literally meaning “water carrying.”  The “aqui-” portion clearly indicates water as is evident in related words like “aquarium” and “aquatic.”  The “-fers” portion comes from the base for “to carry,” found in “differ” (lit. to carry away from something else) and “transfer” (lit. to carry across).

Example Question #301 : One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

In a surprising act of __________, Albert forgave Sebastian for having stolen and spent the whole of his retirement savings.

Possible Answers:

generosity

piety

spirituality

clemency

folly

Correct answer:

clemency

Explanation:

The specific sense that we are looking for in our word is that of forgiveness and mercy.  While Albert’s act is perhaps pious and generous, it most certainly is “clement,” a word meaning “lenient or merciful.”  When we say that there is “inclement weather,” we generally mean that it is particularly nasty, as though it were unforgiving.

Example Question #332 : Sentence Completion Questions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Prince Harold’s father, King Oswald, died when the prince was merely three years old, thus requiring that his mother rule as the __________ until the prince came of age.

Possible Answers:

usurper

princess

successor

regent

queen

Correct answer:

regent

Explanation:

Clearly, the mother in question is neither stealing nor succeeding to the throne.  However, insofar as she is ruling, she is doing so as a replacement for the king.  A person filling such a role is called the “regent.”  Such regency is undertaken in any case where the normal ruler is not fit to assume responsibilities (e.g. because of age, illness, or perhaps being off at war and out of communication).  The word is related to the Latin “regere,” meaning “to rule.”  Related words in English include “regal,” “reign,” and “interregnum.”

Example Question #1711 : Sat Critical Reading

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

After forty years of reading, writing, and researching topics concerning embryology, the scientist felt that his new textbook represented the __________ of his life-long devotion to his subject.

Possible Answers:

codification

culmination

representation

publication

declaration

Correct answer:

culmination

Explanation:

A number of the options presented as answers to this question are tempting, as they seem to apply to the case of the textbook being considered. Certainly, the new textbook would represent or declare the scientist’s work. These are all insufficient, when one notes the key expression, “after forty years.” The implication is that the textbook is the summary or “high point” of a long process of work. A “culmination” is the pinnacle or high point of some process, often implying that such a process took significant time to complete. It comes Latin roots meaning “summit.”

Example Question #221 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

During the tedious meetings at work, Theodore would often allow himself to partake in a wholly imaginative __________ in order to keep himself sane in spite of the tedium of his surroundings.

Possible Answers:

lunacy

dementia

discourse

discussion

reverie

Correct answer:

reverie

Explanation:

A “reverie” is a state of daydreaming.  When the term is used to describe a type of music, it implies that the music is meant to invoke the feeling of such a dreamy state.  The other options either exceed the implications of the sentence (“dementia” and “lunacy”) or do not capture this sense of dreaming (“discussion” and “discourse”). 

Example Question #221 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Gregory tied the shirt around his arm as an ad hoc __________ to stop the steady bleeding of the fresh wound.

Possible Answers:

cincture

sling

bandage

strap

tourniquet

Correct answer:

tourniquet

Explanation:

The key thing to note in reading this sentence is that the shirt is functioning to stop bleeding at its source. Although a bandage or strap might do this, a tourniquet is the best choice because this is explicitly a device used for stopping the flow of blood by constricting the vessel through which it is flowing.

Example Question #222 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The précis provided a __________ presentation of the rather lengthy article.

Possible Answers:

monotonous

succinct

superficial

inadequate

tedious

Correct answer:

succinct

Explanation:

Here, it is necessary to know the meaning of “précis” in order to be certain about the necessary meaning of the needed word. Strictly speaking, a précis is a summary of some longer text. It is not necessarily superficial or reductive in its presentation of the longer source. It merely provides a short summary. Therefore, the best option for our sentence is “succinct,” which means brief in form or expression. It is derived from root words that mean “encircled.” The word “cincture,” meaning a belt, is an example of another related word.

Example Question #341 : Sentence Completion Questions

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The cave functioned as a __________ in which the intellectual teenagers could avoid social persecution while discussing their favorite mathematical and literary subjects.

Possible Answers:

blockade

barrier

chamber

haven

spelunk

Correct answer:

haven

Explanation:

The teenagers, in looking to escape persecution, are seeking a place of safety. Such a place would be a “haven,” a word that we often see in the combined expression “safe haven.” The word can also be used to indicate an inlet or port at which ships can dock.

Example Question #223 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The man’s heart had grown too large for his ribcage on account of an inherited condition leading to such cases of __________.

Possible Answers:

ailment

hypertrophy

grotesqueness

extremity

emergency

Correct answer:

hypertrophy

Explanation:

When an organ enlarges because of an increase in cellular size, it is said to undergo hypertrophy. This word is derived from a prefix that likely is familiar, “hyper,” and a base “trophy,” that is perhaps not as familiar in its root meaning. “Hyper” means “above” or “beyond,” as found in words like “hyperbole,” “hyperactive,” and “hypersensitive.” The “trophy” portion is derived from the Greek “trophe,” meaning “nourishment.” Something that is “hypertropic” is “over-nourished” in the sense of having too much fluid and material within its cells.

Example Question #311 : One Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Sadly, the accident had ended in Susanne being a barely conscious __________, unable to speak or even to feed herself.

Possible Answers:

elder

invalid

comatose

patient

layabout

Correct answer:

invalid

Explanation:

Since Susanne could barely function as a human being, she would most exactly be considered an “invalid,” a word indicating a person who has been disabled from injury or illness. Literally, the word means “lacking strength.” The “-valid” portion comes from root words related to the notion of strength, as found in other English words like “valor,” “valid,” and “prevail.” Do not be tempted to choose “comatose.” First, there is no direct indication that she has been put into a coma. Secondly, the form of the word does not fit in the sentence, as “comatose” is an adjective that really cannot be used substantively as a noun (as is needed in this sentence).

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