ISEE Middle Level Verbal : Sentence Completions: Parts of Speech
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Middle Level Verbal
All ISEE Middle Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Each sentence completion question is made up of a sentence with one blank. Each blank indicates that a word is missing. The sentence is followed by five answer choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Jennifer is a(n) _____ reader; she frequently reads books and seems to gain a high level of pleasure from reading.
thoughtful
repetitive
deliberate
apathetic
avid
avid
Since Jennifer reads frequently and with enthusiasm, she is best described as an avid or devoted reader.
Example Question #2 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Each sentence completion question is made up of a sentence with one blank. Each blank indicates that a word is missing. The sentence is followed by five answer choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
The water in the lake where her family vacationed was dark blue and _____; she could not see to the bottom of the lake, which made her afraid of what was under the surface of the water.
transparent
luminous
foggy
mysterious
opaque
opaque
In this statement, the best answer choice is that the lake water is opaque. The key to this question is that she cannot see the bottom of the lake.
Example Question #3 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Each sentence completion question is made up of a sentence with one blank. Each blank indicates that a word is missing. The sentence is followed by five answer choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Due to the high heat index and the fact that he was out of shape, Joe felt that the five-mile run was _____.
feasible
effortless
nonsensical
excruciating
mild
excruciating
The key to this question is noting that Joe ran in high heat and was out of shape before undertaking a lengthy run of five miles. Thus, the run was presumably excruciating or painful.
Example Question #4 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. Each blank indicates that a word is missing. The sentence is followed by five answer choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
A letter of rejection from the college Tom wanted to attend caused him to be _____ and miserable.
hostile
timid
melancholy
indifferent
listless
melancholy
Since he got a rejection letter from his first-choice college, Tom was presumably miserable and sad. Thus, another way to express his gloom is to say he was melancholy after receiving the news.
Example Question #5 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Each question below is made up of a sentence with one blank. Each blank indicates that a word is missing. The sentence is followed by five answer choices. Select the one word that will best complete the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Rebecca is so _____ that she believed her brother when he told her that deer have the ability to fly.
gullible
discerning
astute
cautious
foolish
gullible
The sentence demonstrates how Rebecca is so gullible, or easily fooled, to the point that she believes even radically incorrect statements.
Example Question #6 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
He was so __________ that he could not be trusted with the simplest of tasks.
knowledgeable
inept
dexterous
respectful
lucky
inept
He was so inept that he could not be trusted with the simplest of tasks.
Inept most nearly means incompetent. Someone who is inept has a very low threshold for what they are capable of handling.
Example Question #2 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
She was __________, so we had no choice but to do it her way.
flexible
adamant
amicable
submissive
open
adamant
She was adamant, so we had no choice but to do it her way. Someone who is adamant about something is convinced that their way or opinion is correct, and is unyielding on this point.
Example Question #7 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Your computer is ten years old? Throw that away: it is __________.
up-to-date
new
obsolete
broken
foreign
obsolete
Your computer is ten years old? Throw that away, it is obsolete. Something that is obsolete is out of date and is not current.
Though it is ten years old, that does not mean the computer is broken. And while it may be foreign, that is not a reason to throw it away.
Example Question #1 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
Many professors grow _________ when discussing their field of study, and their excitement is often contagious.
improbable
fervent
angry
bored
mendacious
fervent
We can infer from the sentence's context that we need to pick out a word that means something like "excited." "Mendacious" is an adjective that means "not telling the truth; lying," so it can't be the correct answer because it's not close in meaning to "excited." While "bored" and "angry" both describe emotions, neither emotion fits the context of the sentence, so neither word can be the correct answer. "Fervent," an adjective that means "having or displaying a passionate intensity," best fits the context of the sentence, so it is the correct answer.
Example Question #2 : Sentence Completions: Adjectives And Adverbs
At the sight of the beach near his childhood home, the old man grew __________ and began to tell stories of the many adventures he had had there as a child.
reminiscent
miserly
ostentatious
self-assured
willful
reminiscent
We can infer that because the old man "began to tell stories of the many adventures he had had [at the beach] as a child," that he was feeling nostalgic. So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "nostalgic." "Reminiscent" is an adjective that can mean "absorbed in or suggesting absorption in memories" when describing a person or his or her manner, so "reminiscent" is the correct answer because it best fits the sentence's context.
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