All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Synonyms: Using Roots To Identify Synonyms
Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.
PORTER
protector
waiter
guard
driver
doorman
doorman
The prefix or root word "port-" means related to moving or transporting, so a “porter” is another name for a “doorman.” For example, the person who collects your bags and holds the door for you at a hotel is considered a "porter." To provide further help, a “protector” is someone who defends someone else.
Example Question #2 : Synonyms: Using Roots To Identify Synonyms
Synonyms: Choose the answer that most closely matches the word in capital letters.
CONJUNCTION
Enamor
Cancellation
Mar
Novelty
Connection
Connection
A “conjunction” is something that joins words together, a connection. The root "junct" means joining, as in “junction.” To provide further help, “enamor” means love; “mar” means ruin; “novelty” means newness or originality.
Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Using Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the word that has most nearly the same meaning as the word in capital letters.
ALLEGIANCE
Dedication
Honesty
Elasticity
Burden
Inquisitiveness
Dedication
"Allegiance," meaning devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause, comes from the same root as the words "ally" and "allied." An "ally" is a person on your side of an argument or war. "Devotion" and "loyalty" also describe dedication.
Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Using Roots To Identify Synonyms
Synonyms: Select the word whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
ADMIRE
Derogate
Enjoy
Respect
Love
Respect
The word "admire" is perhaps so common that you will at first trick yourself into choosing the wrong answer. The word comes from Latin roots that are related to the word "miracle" and "miraculous." Miracles and miraculous things are things that arouse wonder, for they are unexpected and marvelous. When we "admire" someone, we find that person to be wonderful or out of the ordinary. This sense of marvel and wonder leads us to have respect for the person. Therefore, while we can perhaps say that admiration is more than mere respect, still among the answers provided, this is the best option for a synonym.
Example Question #111 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
PERSIST
Devote
Rush
Slack
Devolve
Endure
Endure
The word "persist" comes from root words in Latin that mean to stand thoroughly, to the end. To "persist" is to remain steadfast and devoted to something—not giving up but instead continuing. A "persistent" cold is one that remains for a long time, and a "persistent" person is someone who never gives up. The word "persist" can be used as a verb to indicate that something continues on, as when "the cold weather persisted for weeks," meaning that it continued or endured for weeks. (To "endure" can mean to continue existing.) Therefore, the best option among those provided is "endure." Note, however, that "to persist" does not necessarily mean "to devote." "To devote" time to something might be a way of persisting, but the two words do not exactly indicate the same thing.
Example Question #112 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
A synonym of "negligent" is __________.
cancelled
negative
repetitive
electrical
irresponsible
irresponsible
"Negligent" is an adjective that means "failing to take proper care in doing something. While "negative" might look like a potentially good answer because both "negligent" and "negative" begin with the root word "neg-" which means "no," "not," or "deny," "negative" does not mean the same thing as "negligent," so it cannot be the correct answer. "Irresponsible," however, is an adjective that is used of a person, attitude, or action and means "not showing a proper sense of responsability." Because "irresponsible" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "negligent," it is the correct answer.
Example Question #112 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Synonyms: Select the word whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
APPREHEND
Insist
Punish
Condemn
Catch
Catch
The word "apprehend" comes from the Latin for to lay ahold of. When we "com-prehend" something, we understand it thoroughly—we grasp it thoroughly. The word "apprehend" is often used when we talk about capturing a criminal. The police "apprehend" a wrongdoer, meaning that they capture, seize, or catch him or her. Therefore, the best answer among those provided is "catch."
Example Question #113 : Using Prefixes, Suffixes, And Roots To Identify Synonyms
Synonyms: Select the word whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.
ANNIHILATE
Obliterate
Bomb
Build
Attack
Batter
Obliterate
The word "annihilate" literally means "to make into nothing." The "-nihil-" portion of the word comes from the Latin for "nothing." "Annihilation" is complete destruction, and "to annihilate" is to bring about such complete destruction. Although bombing, battering, and attacking might be means to bringing it about, only the word "obliterate" is a good synonym for complete destruction. The word "obliterate" means "to utterly destroy" and literally means "to erase like letters from a paper." To "obliterate" a city is to "wipe it out from existence."
Example Question #3 : Synonyms: Using Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ILLUMINATE
Praise
Sully
Gladden
Brighten
Shade
Brighten
The word "illuminate" has the base "-lumen- / -lumin" in it. This comes from the Latin for "light." If you look at your lightbulbs, you will see that they are not only measured in watts but also in "lumens." This measurement—"lumens"—indicates the amount of light that the bulb produces. During the holiday season, people might speak of "exterior illumination" when they decorate their houses outside. This describes the "outside lights" that they put up on the house and the bushes and/or trees around their houses. To "illuminate" something is to shine light on it. Therefore, the best option for a synonym is "brighten."
Example Question #4 : Synonyms: Using Roots To Identify Synonyms
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
DOMESTIC
Round
Domelike
Household
Durable
Circular
Household
"Domestic" means pertaining to the home. The best choice is "household" because it has the same definition as domestic when used as an adjective, as in the phrase "household chores." The "dom-" in "domestic" comes from the Latin word for house.
All ISEE Lower Level Verbal Resources
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