All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #21 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
After years of letting himself be overpowered by his raging emotions, Oswald at long last learned the means by which he was able to __________ these unsettling aspects of his personality.
subdue
acclaim
mask
appreciate
display
subdue
The opposition implied in our sentence is that of passing from being overpowered to overpowering or controlling. While perhaps “mask” would seem to fit this usage, it implies that one has not conquered these aspects fully; however, if one “subdues” something, he or she overcomes it. The word comes from the prefix “sub-” being added to the base that is derived from the Latin for to lead (“ducere”). If one subdues something, he or she draws it down or carries something off from one place to another. This is related to many other words such as “conduct,” “educe,” and “produce.”
Example Question #1 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The dense print and the impenetrable legal jargon __________ the document's message; Suzy didn't immediately understand that the family would have to move once again.
bolstered
objectified
obfuscated
contradicted
maintained
obfuscated
"Obfuscated" is correct because "obfuscate" means confuse or deliberately make something difficult to understand. It is related to "obscure," a word you may have come across more often. Suzy doesn't immediately understand what the document is saying because the dense print and legal jargon is confusing, and therefore "obscuring," the message.
Example Question #4 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
The politicians debated offering aid packages to __________ the declining financial situation.
castigate
complicate
ameliorate
moderate
augment
ameliorate
Ameliorate means to improve or make more bearable. We can hope that the aim of the politicians is to do something positive, combating the negative financial situation. While the aid packages may in fact only complicate or augment (increase) the situation, that is not likely the goal of the politicians' debates.
Example Question #8 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
After finishing a hard day's work, Jo was able to __________ in long, hot bubble bath.
vandalize
situate
legalize
luxuriate
repudiate
luxuriate
Luxuriate means to indulge oneself. It is similar to luxury, and a long, hot bath is a luxury.
Example Question #431 : One Blank Sentences
The aspiring politican __________ the past presidents and tried to read as much about them as possible in order to follow in their footsteps.
revered
disdained
vindicated
emulated
discredited
emulated
Since the aspiring politician wants to follow in the presidents' footsteps, the best choice is "emulate," as this means to match or surpass a person, typically by imitation.
Example Question #22 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
They tried pocket dictionaries, pointing, and drawing pictures, but they eventually gave up, realizing that they were not going to __________ the language barrier that easily.
assuage
prosecute
vanquish
surmount
ameliorate
surmount
Looking at the blank, we can tell that we need a word that means something like “overcome.” The best answer, therefore, is “surmount.” “Vanquish” is similar, but it is usually used in the sense of defeating an enemy rather than overcoming an obstacle.
Example Question #23 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
The doctors and policeman __________ to solve the case and serve justice to the kidnapper.
compromised
reconciled
collaborated
submitted
imputed
collaborated
Because two different professions are coming together to solve, the best choice is "collaborated," which means to work together.
Example Question #24 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The changes in routine __________ the old man, who could otherwise remain calm as long as his regimen remained unaltered.
enraged
submerged
inundated
incensed
perturbed
perturbed
The wrong answers to this sentence fall into two classes. On the one hand, “enraged” and “incensed” imply extreme anger, which are not justified by the sentence, which describes the old man as relatively calm in normal conditions. These options are distant contenders at best. On the other hand, “submerged” and “inundated” imply that he was overwhelmed. While that might be the case, the sentence clearly has to deal with his emotional / mental state since it speaks of him remaining calm in most situations; therefore the best option is “perturbed” which means “anxious” or “upset,” a good description for being “not calm.”
Example Question #11 : Verbs In One Blank Sentences
The moon was full about a week ago, but it has __________ since then, and looks like a thin crescent tonight.
waned
coddled
groveled
debilitated
belittled
waned
We know that the moon was full a week ago, but is now a smaller crescent, so it has gotten smaller in the past week. We need a verb that means to appear to get smaller. While "belittled" sounds like a good option, "belittle" has nothing to do with physical size and means to make (someone or something) seem unimportant. Because "wane" means to have a progressively smaller amount of an object's surface illuminated so that it appears to decrease in size, it is the best answer choice.
Example Question #344 : Parts Of Speech In One Blank Sentences
Kendra wrung out the sponge into the sink, __________ it to release all the water it held.
squandering
abdicating
whittling
nullifying
compressing
compressing
We can tell by the context of the sentence that we're looking for a verb that means something like "make smaller," and more specifically, "wring out." While "whittling" sounds like it could be a potential answer because things that are whittled usually get smaller in the process, "whittling" actually means "carving wood into an object by repeatedly cutting small slices from it," so it's not the correct word for the sentence's context. Since "compress" means "flatten by pressure; squeeze; press," it is the best answer.
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