ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Synonyms

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Upper Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CARTOGRAPHER

Possible Answers:

Geometer

Analyst

Mariner

Mapmaker

Cook

Correct answer:

Mapmaker

Explanation:

Looking at the parts of this word, we can get a general idea of its meaning. The “-grapher” clearly means “one who draws, graphs, records, etc.” A “photographer” can be said to take a record of the light (“photo-”) in the sense of recording the image before the camera. The “carto-” portion of the word is related to “card” and ultimately to the word “map.” Even if you cannot get to that last point, if you at least see the similarity to “card,” you will likely avoid the options “geometer” and “geomancer.” Based on what has been said, the best option is “mapmaker.”

Example Question #5 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

NULLIFY

Possible Answers:

Revoke

Validate

Vituperate

Ratify

Sanctify

Correct answer:

Revoke

Explanation:

"Nullify" and "revoke" both mean to cancel or invalidate. "Validate" means to ascertain the truth of something. "Ratify" means to affirm or authorize. "Sanctify" means to hold in highest esteem. "Vituperate" means to criticize sharply

Example Question #6 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

LAUDABLE

Possible Answers:

Acceptable

Foreseen

Commendable

Adequate

Exacting

Correct answer:

Commendable

Explanation:

To “laud” someone is to praise that person. When something is “laudable,” it is “praise worthy.” The only word matching this is “commendable” which itself means “deserving of praise.”

Example Question #7 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CHURLISH

Possible Answers:

Mutable

Acrid

Vulgar

Notorious

Haughty

Correct answer:

Vulgar

Explanation:

"Churlish" is an adjective that means "rude in a mean-spirited and surly way," or "marked by a lack of civility or graciousness." So, we're looking for another adjective that means something like "rude" or "uncivil." While "haughty" seems like a possible choice because someone who is haughty might also be rude, "haughty" specifically means "arrogantly superior and disdainful," not specifically "rude." On the other hand, "vulgar" means "lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste" or "offensive in language," and is the closest synonym to "churlish," and therefore the best answer choice.

Example Question #8 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

SENSIBLE

Possible Answers:

Apparent

Blinding

Reasonable

Manifest

Obscure

Correct answer:

Reasonable

Explanation:

The word “sensible” is clearly related to the notion of “the senses” and what can be perceived by them. It is often used to express the fact that someone is “down to earth” or quite “practical”—always keeping things at the level of observable reality, not detached in idealism or grand speculation. Because of these latter usages, the word has become synonymous with “reasonable” in many of its normal usages.

Example Question #9 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

AMPLIFY

Possible Answers:

Duplicate

Maneuver

Intensify

Digitize

Repeat

Correct answer:

Intensify

Explanation:

The word “amplify” literally means “to make larger.” The “ampli-” portion is the same as that which is found in “ample” (spacious or plentiful) and “amplitude” (roughly meaning “magnitude,” often used in physics to describe vibrations).   The “-fy” means “to do or make.” The word “amplify” is often used to describe the process of making sounds louder, though it can mean “intensify” in the general sense as well.

Example Question #10 : Synonyms: Suffixes

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

LEGIBLE

Possible Answers:

Readable

Legal

Political

Law-like

Regulated

Correct answer:

Readable

Explanation:

The word “legible” comes from the Latin “legere” meaning to read. The English word means clear and readable. It is related to the word “lector,” which means reader. Often people will talk about “legible handwriting,” but the word can be used to describe print words that are likewise readable.

Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Suffixes From Greek

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ICONOCLAST

Possible Answers:

Critic

Vendor

Fanatic

Peddler

Purveyor

Correct answer:

Critic

Explanation:

The suffix -clast is of Greek origin, it means break. An "iconoclast" is a critic, someone who tries to break an institution by attacking it. To provide further help, a "fanatic" is someone who cares deeply about something; "vendor," "purveyor," and "peddler" are all synonyms - they all mean seller.

Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Suffixes From Greek

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

ANARCHY

Possible Answers:

Utopia

Redemption

Disgust

Chaos

Order

Correct answer:

Chaos

Explanation:

"Anarchy" means chaos, the lack of a political order. As a word it can be easily broken down to its component parts. The prefix an- means without and the root -arch- means leader, chief. So "anarchy" is without a leader, without a government, the lack of political order

Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Roots

Immersed most closely means __________.

Possible Answers:

drowned

available

urgent

critical

absorbed

Correct answer:

absorbed

Explanation:

The “-mersed” portion of this word is related to similar forms found in English words like “submerge” and “emerge.” It is derived from the Latin for to dip. The prefix “im-” is a version of “in.” Although “immersion” can describe the process of dunking someone into water, it likewise can mean that someone is completely absorbed in some activity. Consider a sentence like: “He was immersed in programming, little aware of anything in the world other than himself and his computer.” Likewise, we sometimes speak of people studying languages “by immersion,” that is, by living in the context of the language and using only the language being learned instead of their native languages for communication.

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