All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #681 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
WARY
Fatigued
Suspicious
Choleric
Lethargic
Sympathetic
Suspicious
When someone is describe as being "wary," that person is cautious with regard to the things that they believe are dangerous. For instance, a person might be wary about listening to sales people, whom they suspect of lying in order to sell their products. The options "fatigued" and "lethargic" attempt to trick you into misreading "wary" as "weary," meaning tired. The best option, however, for "wary," given its meaning, is "suspicious".
Example Question #682 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SYMPATHETIC
Painful
Unpleasant
Mutual
Reciprocal
Understanding
Understanding
The word "sympathetic" literally means sharing a feeling with. The "-pathetic" portion of the word comes from the Greek pathos, meaning feeling. The "sym-" prefix means with. (A "symphony" is a kind of group that creates sounds together with one another.) Primarily, sympathy is about being able to understand someone else and feel his or her feelings. Such a feeling is indeed shared, but it is not exactly mutual or indeed not "reciprocal" usually. The essence of sympathy is understanding and "co-feeling." Therefore, this is the best option among those given.
Example Question #683 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
INCONGRUOUS
Unsuited
Fitting
Pernicious
Abrasive
Apt
Unsuited
Incongruous means not continuous with, not appropriate for. To provide further help, "fitting" and "apt" are synonyms of one another and antonyms of "incongruous" - both words mean appropriate. "Pernicious" means harmful; "abrasive" means rude and aggressive.
Example Question #684 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IMPERATIVE
Necessary
Likely
Unwise
Unlikely
Unnecessary
Necessary
Something that is "imperative" is highly necessary. So, if you want to do well on any test you take it is "imperative" that you practice. To provide further help, "unwise" means not wise, foolish. The prefix un- is a negating prefix. This means it takes the original meaning of the word "wise" and causes it to mean the opposite "not wise."
Example Question #685 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PAROCHIAL
Ponderous
Limited
Posh
Heavenly
Naive
Limited
"Parochial" means having a limited worldview, provincial. So the best answer choice is "limited." To provide further help, "posh" means wealthy and refined; "ponderous" means slow moving, boring; "naive" means gullible, easily tricked into believing lies; "heavenly" means lovely, divine.
Example Question #686 : Identifying Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EQUIVOCAL
Vague
Stubborn
Obstinate
Impatient
Obvious
Vague
Equivocal means ambiguous, unclear, hazy, vague. To provide further help, "obstinate" means stubborn, inflexible.
Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, And Variety
BIZARRE
Usual
Sociable
Odd
Dreadful
Sloppy
Odd
"Bizarre" means strange or odd. Usual is the antonym; it means ordinary or common. "Sociable" means friendly and eager to interact and speak with other people. "Sloppy" means careless and not cautious. "Dreadful" means causing great fear.
Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, And Variety
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TRITE
insignificant
tiny
parochial
clichéd
unimportant
clichéd
The word “trite” is often used in expressions like “his trite, meaningless remarks” or “the phrase was rather trite and common.” It often implies that something is insignificant or not important, but this sense follows on the main meaning of the word, namely, overused. It applies to expressions and ideas that have been repeated so often that they have lost their force. They become common knowledge and seem rather uninformative—“everyone knows that trite truth.” Among the options given in the answers, “clichéd” is the best, as it means overused and unoriginal.
Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, And Variety
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DEVIANT
Miscreant
Shunned
Imprisoned
Illegal
Anomalous
Anomalous
We tend to think of “deviant” as used in the phrase “social deviant.” This is often applied to people (perhaps problem-causing children) who are involved in activities that society frowns upon. This usage must not lead us to think that “deviant” means one who does illegal things. It is better understood from the perspective of the word “deviate,” which means to stray beyond the norms. When something is an anomaly, it is just this, namely something that goes away from the norm.
Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, And Variety
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
TANTAMOUNT
Cryptic
Stringent
Bubbly
Ironic
Same
Same
"Tantamount" means the same or identical and is typically found in the phrase "X is tantamount to Y." That makes "same" the correct answer; as for the other answer choices, "stringent" means rigid or tight; "ironic" means coincidental or unexpected; "bubbly" means lively or energetic; and "cryptic" means secret or obscure in meaning.
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