All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Synonyms: Verbs
ENTICE
Mourn
Revolve
Suppress
Err
Lure
Lure
"Entice" means to attract or to lure. "Err" means to make a mistake. "Suppress" means to crush or quell. "Mourn" means to lament or to grieve. "Revolve" means to orbit or to circle.
Example Question #11 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FATHOM
obscure
investigate
dark
perplex
comprehend
comprehend
The word “fathom” has an interesting derivation. It comes from the measurement of someone’s arms being stretched outward (like “foot” was originally designated to measure the “standard foot size”). It now is used to measure the depth of water and is equal to about six feet per unit. Since it is associated with being “deep,” the verb form of “fathom” means to understand something difficult or deep; therefore, it can mean to comprehend.
Example Question #12 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BESEECH
Decline
Evacuate
Well up
Beg
Describe
Beg
"Beseech" is a verb that means implore or entreat. "Decline," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "decline" means refuse in a polite way, making "decline" an antonym of "beseech," not a synonym. "Beg," however, is a verb that means ask in a humble manner, and because "beg" is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "beseech," "beg" is the correct answer.
Example Question #13 : Synonyms: Verbs
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
STYMIE
feint
explicate
abjure
thwart
inveigle
thwart
"Stymie" and "thwart" both mean to frustrate or hinder. "Explicate" means to clarify or explain. "Abjure" means to give up. "Feint" means a pretense or ruse. "Inveigle" means to entice or manipulate.
Example Question #14 : Synonyms: Verbs
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
SPURN
amalgamate
sanction
solicit
extirpate
repudiate
repudiate
"Spurn" and "repudiate" both mean to turn away or ignore. "Sanction" means an embargo or punishment. "Solicit" means to plead for or to try to sell. "Amalgamate" means to blend or consolidate. "Extirpate" means to destroy or uproot.
Example Question #15 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
QUIBBLE
Whet
Importune
Concur
Denigrate
Bicker
Bicker
"Quibble" and "bicker" both mean to disagree over a minor point. "Concur" means to agree or approve. "Denigrate" means to belittle or malign. "Importune" means to demand or insist. "Whet" means to make sharp or hone.
Example Question #13 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BELABOR
Atone
Doff
Slake
Rehash
Suborn
Rehash
"Belabor" and "rehash" both mean to dwell on. "Slake" means to decrease or assuage. "Doff" means to remove or discard. "Suborn" means to bribe. "Atone" means to compensate or make amends.
Example Question #14 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SPURN
Manage
Verify
Accept
Rebuff
Consider
Rebuff
"Spurn" is a verb that means "reject with disdain or contempt." So, "accept" cannot be the correct answer, because it is an antonym of "spurn," not a synonym. "Rebuff," a word that when used as a verb means "reject someone or something in an abrupt or ungracious manner," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "spurn," so "rebuff" is the correct answer.
Example Question #15 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PLACATE
Position
Appease
Enjoy
Provoke
Satisfy
Appease
The word “placate” is related distantly to “to please,” but it most properly means “to please someone in order to calm him or her.” Consider its use in an example sentence: “Although the worker had been quite angry about his low pay, the promise of a raise managed to placate his rage.” The word “appease” does not merely mean “to please,” but even more properly means “to soothe the demands of someone.”
Example Question #16 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
RECOGNIZE
Formulate
See
Recollect
Forget
Think
Recollect
The word "recognize" means to identify as something previously known. The best choice here is "recollect" because is shares a similar meaning—to remember. Considering the other choices, the word "forget" is an antonym of "recognize" that means to be let slip from one's memory, "think" means consider, and "see" means look at and notice.
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