All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #191 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
ONEROUS
arduous
trivial
obdurate
facile
obsequious
arduous
"Onerous" and "arduous" both mean difficult or backbreaking. "Facile" means simple or easy. "Trivial" means unimportant or superficial. "Obsequious" means groveling or submissive. "Obdurate" means stubborn or adamant.
Example Question #192 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ADVERSE
Foe
Unfavorable
Vexing
Clashing
Battling
Unfavorable
The word “adverse” comes from the Latin meaning to turn toward or, more directly, to the Latin for to be against. The word “adverse” most often is used to describe conditions that are disadvantageous to some undertaking. For instance, a very standard usage is “adverse weather conditions,” meaning weather conditions that are not favorable to activities—either in specific or in general. It can also mean harmful, thus being used in a sentence like, “The adverse effects of the drug were known to cause cancer and heart damage within two years of beginning treatment.” The word “adversary,” meaning opponent, is clearly related to this word.
Example Question #193 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ESTEEMED
Admired
Astonished
Enjoyed
Adulterated
Relished
Admired
To hold something in esteem is not merely to enjoy it or relish it. It is to give it high respect. The word “admired” best fits for this reason. “Admire” actually comes from Latin roots related to wondering at something. Something that is “miraculous” is wonderful or wondrous. The “admirable” is likewise quite wonderful.
Example Question #2511 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
INDIGENT
Exhume
Aboriginal
Impoverished
National
Native
Impoverished
The word “indigent” means “poor” or “needy.” Among the options, the only option that means this is clearly “impoverished. One might see this word used in a sentence like, “The long period of economic recession greatly increased the indigent population of the country, requiring many more to turn to charity in order to have enough to live.” Note that the word is not the same as “indigenous,” which means “native to a given locale.”
Example Question #2512 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMPOVERISHED
Beggar
Overcome
Laboring
Destitute
Saddened
Destitute
For this word, the answer is perhaps less known that the word itself. Clearly, the word “impoverished” contains a relative of the word “poverty.” The word “destitute” most properly means “lacking the means even to provide for basic needs.” It can likewise mean, more generally, “lacking,” particularly when used in conjunction with the preposition “of” as in “the students were destitute of any intellectual interest.”
Example Question #801 : Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PROSPEROUS
Flourishing
Foreseeing
Predictive
Investing
Economical
Flourishing
When someone is “prosperous,” that person is said to “do well” for himself or himself. That is, he or she is accomplishing the tasks and goals that he or she has set. Often, such prosperity is indicated by an increase in material wealth. This is the sense in which the word is most often used, as in, “The banker was the most prosperous man in town, owning fifteen cars and two large houses.” In a more general sense, it can mean “flourishing,” which is related to “flowering,” here meaning “coming to full development” (like a plant coming to flower).
Example Question #201 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
AVOWED
Compatible
Divorced
Separated
Admitted
Agreeing
Admitted
The word “avowed” actually is related to the word “advocate,” which means, “someone called as a witness.” The word is usually used in the context of noun, for instance “an avowed atheist,” or, “an avowed chocolate addict.” In such uses, the word means, “publically admitted.” For instance, to say, “I am an avowed chocolate addict,” is akin to saying, “I have publically admitted that I am an addict to chocolate and hide the fact from nobody.”
Example Question #2511 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
TENTATIVE
Hesitant
Fastidious
Fragrant
Immoderate
Deceitful
Hesitant
Often, the word “tentative” is used to describe a situation when someone is uncertain whether or not an event will take place. For example, one could say, “I will tentatively schedule our meeting for 2:00 PM. Call me to let me know if this will work.” Likewise, the word can be used to describe an action that is done hesitantly—perhaps because someone lacks confidence that the action is possible.
Example Question #203 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FARCICAL
Immature
Ridiculous
Judgmental
Inconsistent
Overwhelming
Ridiculous
A “farce” is a type of comedy in which chance events and foolishness play a significant part in the nature of the comedy presented. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe an event that is just as foolish as a play that is a farce. The word “ridiculous” comes from the Latin for “to laugh.” It means “laughable,” which relates well to the notion of being “farcical.”
Example Question #204 : Synonyms: Adjectives And Adverbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OPULENT
Lavish
Aristocratic
Snobby
Overachieving
Workable
Lavish
Although we often might think of an “opulent lifestyle” as being “high class” or something of the like, strictly speaking, something that is opulent is wealthy or lavish in a showy manner. For instance, one could say, “The opulence of the theatre was amazing. With its gilded ceiling, crystal chandeliers, and silk curtains, it struck the viewer as being the very apogee of material splendor.”
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