All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The student, having an excess of nervous energy, was __________ and paced around his bedroom all night, unable to fall asleep.
happy
frustrated
restless
unhappy
busy
restless
In this sentence, it is made clear that the student has an excess of energy and as a result is pacing about his room. This indicates that he is "restless," meaning that he is not able to relax himself. "Restless" is therefore the best way to complete this sentence.
Example Question #2 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Andrea loves to dance because it __________ her, making her feel alive and full of energy.
bothers
challenges
invigorates
helps
mystifies
invigorates
In this sentence, the clue words as to what to fill the blank with are "making her feel alive and full of energy." The word that goes in the blank should have a meaning similar to this. "Invigorates" means to inspire or give one a lot of energy or passion. Therefore, "invigorates" is the correct answer.
Example Question #3 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The smell of blue cheese is very __________, often masking any other aromas that may be in a room.
unusual
negative
subtle
mysterious
pungent
pungent
When a smell masks other aromas, it does so because of its intensity. The best word that conveys the intensity of a smell is "pungent." Something that is "pungent" has an aroma that is very strong and prevents other scents from being detected.
Example Question #4 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Marshall was __________ to discover that he scored poorly on his math exam, given that he had studied extensively and done very well on practice tests.
outraged
horrified
annoyed
unimpressed
shocked
shocked
Given the context of the sentence, we know that Marshall had studied a lot for his test, and scored well on practice exams, but still scored poorly. This difference between his expectations and reality would cause him to be very surprised, or "shocked." While he might be upset, the words "outraged" and "horrified" are too strong, and "annoyed" is too weak. "Unimpressed" is not appropriate. Therefore, "surprised" is the best answer.
Example Question #5 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Jonathan bought a car, which he has to pay off in _____, paying a certain amount of money every month until the balance is paid off.
cash
labor
struggles
installments
credit
installments
Here, given that Jonathan is going to pay off his car every month, he is paying it off piece by piece. To pay something off in installments means to pay something off incrementally, one portion at a time. Therefore, installments is the correct answer.
Example Question #6 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Jeff is rather _____; it takes him ten minutes to tell a story that most people can tell in two minutes.
exciting
generous
adventurous
long-winded
happy
long-winded
Long-winded means to talk at length in a tedious way. Given that Jeff takes ten minutes to tell a story that most people could tell in a fraction of that time, the best word to fill the blank would be one that indicates he takes a long time to tell his story. Long-winded is therefore the best fit.
Example Question #7 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Rebecca has a _____ routine of going for a run every morning; she hasn't missed a single day in two years.
ruthless
rigorous
boring
passive
weekly
rigorous
Rigorous means to be very strict and instense. Given that Rebecca hasn't missed a morning run in two years, she is very diligent and disciplined. The word that best fits the sentence to describe her in this way is rigorous. While ruthless means determined, it has a combative connotation, which is not appropriate for the sentence.
Example Question #2 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
After less than a day of deliberation, the committee decided that Rachel's outlandish plan was simply not __________ enough to put into action.
extravagant
sensible
compatible
inadequate
pointless
sensible
This sentence contains multiple context clues, any of which can be used to narrow down the answer choices. First, Rachel's plan was "outlandish," meaning it was ridiculous or at least strange. Even more helpful is the end of the sentence, where we're told that the plan was "not __________ enough" to use. So, we're looking for a positive quality that Rachel's plan must have been lacking. This allows us to eliminate "pointless" and "inadequate," which would both be negative qualities in a plan. Similarly, the committee would be unlikely to reject the proposal for not being "extravagant" enough, especially since we already know that it was "outlandish." "Compatible" refers to two things that can work together well, or two people that can get along together well, and since no two things are being compared in the sentence, "compatible" cannot be the correct answer. The final answer remaining is "sensible," which fits perfectly in this sentence.
Example Question #8 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
A lover of __________, Mr. Jones goes to the same bagel shop every morning and orders the same thing.
lifestyle
routine
friends
independence
life
routine
The key clue provided by this sentence is the fact that Mr. Jones goes to the same bagel shop every morning. Therefore, it can be inferred that he is a lover of "routine," which is the correct answer.
Example Question #9 : Style, Intensity, And Connotation In Word Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Gina couldn't see through the window, as it was __________ from all the dirt that had collected on it.
obscure
opaque
brazen
clear
translucent
opaque
Here, the sentence plants the clue that because the window is very dirty, it is not possible to see through it. Thus, the best word to describe the window would be one that indicates its lack of clarity. "Opaque" means cloudy and nontransparent, so it is therefore the best word to complete the sentence. While "obscure" may seem like a potentially correct answer choice because the window is "obscuring" Gina's view, the window itself is not "obscure," which here means hidden or unknown. Similarly, since Gina cannot see through the window at all, we cannot accurately call it "translucent," since something translucent still lets some light through and can thus still be seen through somewhat.
All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
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