All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #161 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ENVISION
Delete
Replace
Predict
Erect
Imagine
Imagine
The Latin root -vis- means see, sight, as in "vision" or "visible." So, to "envision" means to see or picture in one's mind, to imagine. Additionally, to "erect" means to build, to put up.
Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Roots From Greek
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
IDYLLIC
Perfect
Peaceful
Flawless
Epic
Gregarious
Peaceful
When something is “idyllic,” it is peaceful or picturesque. The word indirectly comes from the Greek “eidos” meaning form, idea, or picture. Do not confuse “idyllic” with words related to “ideal” in the sense of meaning perfect or best. The best option is “peaceful,” which is most directly related to the definition of “idyllic.”
Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Roots From Greek
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
UTOPIAN
Cynical
Visionary
Robotic
Bombastic
Frightening
Visionary
The word “utopia” is used to describe a perfect place with no problems. For instance, someone might imagine a perfect city like Plato did in his Republic. This was perhaps a beautiful idea, but it was practically impossible. This practical impossibility is almost always part of a “utopia.” Someone who is “utopian” is idealistic and somewhat “visionary” in the sense of proposing large, ambitious plans. (Hence, the plans are a lot like a utopia.) Interestingly, the word “utopia” was coined by Thomas More, who wrote the text Utopia, describing just such a city. Its name was a play on words. The “u-” prefix means not. Thus a “utopia” is a “non-place.” It does not and cannot exist. However, the “eu-” prefix means good (as in “euphony” and “eulogy”). A utopia looks good, but it does not exist.
Example Question #161 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
MISANTHROPIC
Disinclined
Heinous
Impassive
Eccentric
Antisocial
Antisocial
This word's component parts give you clues as to its meaning: "mis-" is a negative prefix, and "-anthropic" includes the root "anthro," derived from the Greek word for "man." “Misanthropic” thus means disliking people and doing everything possible to avoid people. This is closest in meaning to “antisocial,” which means not social and avoiding people. As for the other answer choices, “disinclined” means not inclined and thus not likely; “impassive” means not caring and not showing emotion; “eccentric” means weird and unconventional; “heinous” means wicked and evil.
Example Question #171 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
THEIST
Nonbeliever
Believer
Mechanist
Worship
Outsider
Believer
Do not confuse “theist” with “atheist.” The “theist” base found in the latter word means “one believing in God or gods.”
It is derived from the Greek for “god,” though it is also related to a very similar set of Latin roots for the same notions pertaining to God. It can be found in words like “theology” (the study of God) as well as “pantheism” (the belief that all things in the world are identical with God). The Latin relatives change the “th” into a “d,” as found in words like “deify” and “deism.” Among the options given, “believer” is the closest that one can find.
Example Question #172 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
LEXICON
Researcher
Newspaper
Dictionary
Mapmaker
Legality
Dictionary
The word “lexicon” comes from the Greek word for “word.” When someone is “dyslexic,” he or she has problems interpreting words. (The “dys-” prefix means “bad or difficult”). The word “lexicon” might mean the general vocabulary of a person, as when we say, “The expression ‘active potency’ is not in the general lexicon of the ‘man on the street.’” Likewise, the word lexicon can mean “dictionary”—a book of words.
Example Question #173 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
COSMOPOLITAN
Conceited
Arrogant
Vain
Multicultural
Wealthy
Multicultural
When a person is “cosmopolitan,” he or she is at ease in any culture in the world. The word itself is derived from Greek roots with which you are likely familiar. The “cosmo-” portion comes from the Greek for “world or order.” The “-politan” is related to meanings like “city” and “citizen.” You have experienced this word in “politics” and “politician.” Someone who is “cosmopolitan” is “a citizen of the world.”
Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Roots From Greek
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SOPHISTRY
Worldly
Scholastic
Intellectual
Fallacy
Cosmopolitan
Fallacy
The word “sophistry” is related to the word for wisdom, Sophia, which is found in words like “sophisticated” and “philosophy,” but it is not here used in a positive sense whatsoever. Sophistry conveys the idea that someone is using reasoning in a manner that is not truly honest or correct in order to make misleading arguments. A “fallacy” in logic is a mistake (either intended or unintended) that causes the reasoning to end in an incorrect conclusion. Among the options provided, this is the only word that approaches the meaning of “sophistry.”
Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Roots From Greek
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DILEMMA
Despondency
Commentary
Brevity
Quandary
Perpetuation
Quandary
The prefix "di-" means two, so a "dilemma" is a problem with two possible solutions, neither of them optimal, or a "quandary." As for the other answer choices, “brevity” means conciseness, economy of language; “commentary” means discussion presenting individuals' opinions about some situation or thing; “despondency” means hopelessness and sadness; and "perpetuation" is the act of making something (often something bad) continue to exist.
Example Question #68 : Synonyms: Roots
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
EUPHONIOUS
Pleasant-sounding
Discordant
Harsh
Sensual
Superfluous
Pleasant-sounding
The prefix "eu-" means good and "-phon-" means sound, so it makes sense that “euphonious” means sounding nice, mellow, and sweet, or "pleasant-sounding." As for the other answer choices, “harsh” means unpleasant, rough and grating; “discordant” means disagreeing or contradictory; “sensual” means relating to, or pleasing to, the senses; and “superfluous” means nonessential.
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