ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Verbs in One-Blank Sentences
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Example Questions
Example Question #171 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The employees felt __________ after their manager publicly blamed them for his mistake, and then he refused to answer any phone calls or emails after the incident.
surrendered
repudiated
redeemed
reserved
marooned
marooned
The sentence implies that the employees were left to their own devices after the incident in question, and “marooned” means to be left isolated and alone and without means of escape. “Marooned” is the correct word choice to describe the feelings of the employees.
Example Question #172 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The couple wanted someone who had known both of them since childhood to __________ their marriage ceremony, so they asked a close family friend to lead the service.
elucidate
tome
officiate
abbreviate
traduce
officiate
“Officiate” most closely means to perform a ceremony or duty in an official capacity. As a marriage ceremony, in this context, would be an official ceremony, "officiate" is the best answer choice.
Example Question #173 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The new law was an effort to __________ certain hunting practices, but many outdoorsman believe the new prohibitions could not be enforced.
unencumber
proscribe
enable
undermine
promote
proscribe
The law’s effort, as mentioned in the second part of the sentence, is to prohibit certain actions. Of the given answer choices, only “proscribe” is a synonym for prohibit.
Example Question #174 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The professor’s lectures had a tendency to __________, often taking on topics that bore little relation to his initial subject.
narrow
finesse
meander
pontificate
pinpoint
meander
The professor’s habit of discussing topics not related to his subject shows he wanders around various topics. Of the answer choices, only “meander” is a synonym for wander.
Example Question #181 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
While her grandchildren often used their cell phones at the table, she __________ such behavior.
celebrated
ignored
approved
abhorred
enjoyed
abhorred
The structure of the sentence indicates that the grandmother did not like her grandchildren's behavior. Look for an answer that means dislike or even hate. Of the answer choices, only "abhorred" has the appropriate meaning.
Example Question #182 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The nonprofit's work focused on ___________ people in emerging democracies, but questions remained about its effectiveness.
suppressing
harming
enfranchising
nullifying
negating
enfranchising
The best clue for the answer lies in the word "democracies," as "enfranchising" means enabling voting rights. Another clue is the fact that the other four answer choices all indicate some sense of hurting people; identifying synonyms among answer choices is a good way to eliminate some choices.
Example Question #181 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Not wanting to see a rival succeed, he sought to __________ every promotion opportunity she received.
complement
assist
ensure
hamper
enable
hamper
The key word in the sentence is "rival." With rival in mind, look for a word that would indicate a sense of harm or impairment. Of the answer choices, only "hamper" has the appropriate meaning.
Example Question #182 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Her lifelong love of cars began with a trip to an automotive museum as a young girl, which __________ her passion at a young age.
repulsed
slowed
hampered
kindled
tempered
kindled
The museum trip started and encouraged her love of cars. "Kindled," literally meaning started a fire, but here used metaphorically to mean ignited an interest, is the only answer choice that appropriately completes the sentence.
Example Question #183 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The gunman would not __________ to the policeman's demands to step out of his car, so he was forced to tase him.
vindicate
acquiesce
husband
spurn
concur
acquiesce
The sentence tells us that the police had to tase the gunman, from which we can infer that he didn't cooperate. Because the omitted word is preceded by "not," the proper choice should be something similar in meaning to "cooperate." "Acquiesce" means accept, consent or give in, so "acquiesce" best fits the context of the sentence and is the correct answer.
Example Question #184 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The city councilman __________ the virtues of building a waterfront business park to attract companies to their city, but he was generally opposed because the boardwalk currently located there was very popular.
deliberated
obliterated
caucusing
extricated
espoused
espoused
"Espouse" means support, promote or advocate. It is clear that this is what the city councilman was doing, as the opposite involved people opposing the waterfront business park.
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