All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #31 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
GARNER
Decorate
Embellish
Bedeck
Forge
Accumulate
Accumulate
Generally speaking, people use “garner” to mean “gather,” as when one says, “He garnered support for the petition, hoping to have a majority by the time of the vote.” To "accumulate" things is to gather them together, and this is adequately synonymous with “garner.” A number of the options are trying to make you confuse “garner” with “garnish,” meaning to decorate.
Example Question #32 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MOCK
Replicate
Destroy
Abuse
Maltreat
Imitation
Imitation
We often think of the word “mock” as a term of abuse: “The children all mocked the new student because of his thick glasses.” However, directly deals with the laugher or ridiculed involved (though it is also often in a nasty way). While several of these options (like “maltreat” and “abuse”) would be options if no better choice were available, the word “imitation” is best. “Mock” can be used as an adjective meaning “imitation,” as when one speaks of “mock leather” that is cheaper to buy than real leather.
Example Question #33 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
GRAPHIC
Photography
Baneful
Beautiful
Cartesian
Detailed
Detailed
When you see the word “graphic,” you likely think of a picture on your computer or in a magazine. This is a true use of the word when it is a noun. However, it can also be an adjective, meaning several things. It can merely mean something like related to art that can be seen. This clearly is related to the aforementioned use of “graphic” as “image.” It can also describe something that provides a detailed account of something. Hence, you could say “a graphic description,” meaning a very lively and detailed description.” This is why “detailed” is the correct answer. The others do not provide an adequate synonym form. A graphic is not "photography," so this can be eliminated immediately. The word “Cartesian” is attempting to get you to think of a Cartesian graphing plane, like what you use in algebra class. However, that is not what “graphic” means either. Something that is graphic might be “beautiful,” but not necessarily. Therefore, the humble answer “detailed” suffices.
Example Question #34 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
QUARTER
Select
Money
Destroy
Finances
Region
Region
The word “quarter” has many uses, many related to the sense of being “one-fourth” of a larger whole. Among these options, do not be tempted by words like “money” or “finances,” which are merely superficial ploys to try to get you to choose something related to the American coin. Sometimes, the word “quarter” is used to describe a district or area in a larger geographical region. For instance, one sometimes speaks of the “Slovak quarter” of a city perhaps because many Slavs moved there, thus giving that section a certain character.
Example Question #35 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
QUARTER
Housing
Money
Cheap
Select
Inexpensive
Housing
The word “quarter” has many uses, many related to the sense of being “one-fourth” of a larger whole. Among these options, the only matching word is “house.” At first, this might seem strange, but “house” can be used as a verb meaning “to provide living / storage space.” In the American Constitution, the third amendment places restrictions on the government’s ability to force citizens to house soldiers, whether in peace or in war. Observe how it uses ‘quarter’ in this sense: “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”
Example Question #19 : Hspt Verbal Skills
Temper most closely means __________.
overbearing
exultation
strengthen
despot
exhilaration
strengthen
Although we think of “temper” as having to do with someone’s disposition (or the state of being angry in particular), the word does have the additional use of to harden. The word is related to Latin roots meaning to mix. When one makes “tempered steel,” it is heated and cooled in order to change its hardness. While it is heated, other materials might be added to the steel to alter its condition. Among the options, the only one that matches this sense is “strengthen.” The other options appear to deal with “temperament,” but none of them are general enough even to fit that usage.
Example Question #36 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
FATHOM
fallow
depth
mettle
invocation
fidelity
depth
"Fathom" and "depth" are synonyms. "Fallow" means a cultivated area left unplanted. "Fidelity" means loyalty or trustworthiness. "Invocation" means a prayer or appeal. "Mettle" means boldness or strength of character.
Example Question #37 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
GOSSAMER
Incessant
Exuberant
Inferior
Delicate
Contrite
Delicate
“Gossamer," when used as a noun, means a very fine spiderweb. When used as an adjective, this word means fine, lightweight, fragile, and gauzy, so "delicate" is the correct answer. "Incessant" means non-stop; "inferior" means worse in quality than something else; "contrite" means feeling guilty; and "exuberant" means enthusiastic and energetic.
Example Question #38 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SWAMP
Amphibious
Sticky
Outback
Irritate
Overwhelm
Overwhelm
The word "swamp" can be either a noun or a verb. As a noun, it indicates a boggy, marshy area of wet land. As a verb, it means to overwhelm or to drench. Thus, it could indicate being "swamped" with water, but it also can be used to describe someone who is overwhelmed with work. Thus, we could say, "After a week of vacation, Kimberly was swamped with work left in her office during her time away." None of the noun options are adequate synonyms. Only "overwhelm" works to match the verb meaning of the word "swamp."
Example Question #39 : Identifying Synonyms When Words Have Multiple Meanings
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OFFENSIVE
Brandish
Assault
Fault
Astonishing
Surprising
Assault
The word "offensive" is most often used as an adjective to describe something that is unpleasant or hurtful—e.g. "offensive remarks" or "an offensive smell." None of the options provided really indicate this sort of meaning. There is another option, though. The word "offensive" can also be used as a noun to describe a kind of military activity. An army can undertake and "offensive" against a foe, meaning that they attack or assault their enemy. Thus, the best option among those provided here is "assault", which matches this last meaning for "offensive."
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