ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Synonyms: Verbs About Communicating, Arguing, and Understanding
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Upper Level Verbal
All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #215 : Identifying Synonyms
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
ADUMBRATE
dote
illuminate
augur
conscript
patronize
augur
"Adumbrate" and "augur" both mean to foreshadow or bode. "Illuminate" means to brighten or highlight. "Conscript" means to recruit or draft. "Dote" means to cherish or fawn. "Patronize" means to support a cause or condescend to.
Example Question #216 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DISCERN
Doubt
Recognize
Comply
Overlook
Predict
Recognize
A good example of discerning something is when you discern the difference between your perceived financial situation (which may be higher in your mind) and the reality of your situation.
Example Question #217 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DEFY
Dispute
Worship
Venerate
Disobey
Argue
Disobey
When someone is “defiant,” he or she stubbornly refuses to obey someone or something else to the point of open resistance. Here, do not confuse “defy” with “deify,” which means “to make into a god.” While options like “argue” and “dispute” are related to someone who is defying another person. The best option is “disobey,” which most closely captures the action of a defiant individual.
Example Question #218 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EXTOL
Praise
Rejoice
Coral
Adulate
Congratulate
Adulate
The word “extol” means “to praise someone to a great degree.” For this reason, it is best to choose “adulate,” which implies such high praise. The words “praise” and “congratulate” would be options if this stronger option (adulate) was not given.
Example Question #2151 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMITATE
Covet
Foster
Tempt
Detest
Mimic
Mimic
Since "imitate" means to take or follow as a model, the answer choice that is its closest synonym is "mimic," which means to imitate, typically to entertain or ridicule.
Example Question #220 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BELIE
Contradict
Tolerate
Emphasize
Prohibit
Foreshadow
Contradict
Since "belie" is a verb that means "give a false idea of something," "show something to be false or wrong," we need to pick out a word that means something like "misrepresent." Since "contradict" means "deny the truth of a statement, especially by asserting the opposite," it is the best answer choice and the correct answer.
Example Question #51 : Synonyms: Verbs
Each synonyms question is made up of a word in capital letters followed by five choices. Choose the one word that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ASCERTAIN
Induce
Deduce
Encode
Decipher
Probe
Deduce
If something is ascertained such as a fact, it means that it is deduced or surmised.
Example Question #52 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OBFUSCATE
Conceal
Perplex
Thwart
Occlude
Explicate
Perplex
The word obfuscate means to confuse. Thus, the best fit answer choice is perplex.
Example Question #53 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ABIDE
Accept
Await
Remain
Injure
Retain
Accept
In its older usage, “abide,” meant “to live or dwell.” It generally means “to accept” (often as a rule for action). It is often used in conjunction with the word “with” as in, “He decided that it was better to abide with the judge’s decision than to contest it.” Also, negatively, it can mean that someone does not tolerate something or someone. In this case, it would be used in a sentence like, “I cannot abide the way that she rudely eats with her mouth open and think I will leave the room.”
Example Question #54 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DECIPHER
Display
Recover
Unearth
Discover
Decode
Decode
A “cipher” is a way of encoding or scrambling a message so as to hide its meaning. This would be used, for instance, in war when people are trying to hide the contents of messages between allies. When someone “deciphers” something, he or she “takes away the code.” In other words, he or she “breaks” the code and can read the message.
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