ISEE Upper Level Verbal : Context Clues in Two-Blank Sentences

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ISEE Upper Level Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #2062 : Psat Critical Reading

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Many good-willed people decided to take up the cause of ___________ on behalf of the enslaved population, believing that none deserved to have their rights so totally __________.

Possible Answers:

shouting . . . lacerated

fighting . . . inquired

freedom . . . questioned

arguing . . . notarized

emancipation . . . curbed

Correct answer:

emancipation . . . curbed

Explanation:

The sentence implies that people are supporting the slaves against an injustice. Although it does not say such, we can at first assume the injustice to be slavery. This is particularly the case based on an investigation of the options provided for the second blank. "Lacerated" means cut open. This would be metaphorical at best. "Notarized" makes no sense here. "Totally questioned" really is a bit of a strange pairing, for the sentence implies that this is a matter of something more than mere questioning. To be "totally inquired" does not fit grammatically. Therefore, the best pair of answers is "emancipation . . . curbed." To "emancipate" is to free. It comes from the word for "hand" in Latin, which we find in words like "manual" (e.g. "manual labor") and manuscript (meaning "handwritten"). To "e-manicipate" is to set free the hands of someone. To "curb" is to restrain or hold back.

Example Question #1 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

He was a __________ supporter of his local government for years, until they violated a promise to the community to build a new highway around the town; after that, he promptly __________ any association with them.

Possible Answers:

lethargic . . . abandoned

inconclusive . . . embraced

sterile . . . disowned

staunch . . . repudiated

incoherent . . . renounced

Correct answer:

staunch . . . repudiated

Explanation:

The use of the word “until” suggests that the subject of this sentence went from supporting the local government to disowning them, so the second underlined word must mean something like “disowned.” Unfortunately, there are four answer choices that all mean disowned or abandoned one’s beliefs: “repudiated,” “renounced,” “abandoned,” and “disowned.” The word “embraced” means adopted or accepted, so it is an antonym of the other four options. To determine which of the four possible answers is most likely the correct one, then, you have to see which word makes sense as the first underlined word. “Incoherent” means unclear or incomprehensible; this does not make sense as a description of a supporter. “Lethargic” means inactive; this too does not make sense. "Sterile” means infertile or free from disease; this is in no way related to supporting. So, the correct answer must be “staunch,” which means dedicated, loyal, and committed.

Example Question #2 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Because of his __________ nature, he was often able to __________ valuable and much needed items for a lot less than they were worth.

Possible Answers:

thrifty . . . procure

profligate . . . acquire

adept . . . orchestrate

spendthrift . . . obtain

deluded . . . eradicate

Correct answer:

thrifty . . . procure

Explanation:

The structure of the sentence suggests that the word that goes in the second blank probably means something like "get," so it could be “procure,” “obtain,” or “acquire.” These words are all synonyms of one another and all mean to get or to come into possession of. “Eradicate” means destroy and “orchestrate” means organize; these words do not fit neatly into the sentence. From there, it is a matter of determining whether someone with a “thrifty,” “spendthrift,” or “profligate” nature would get much needed items for less than they were worth. “Spendthrift” and “profligate” both mean wasteful and squandering money, so these are opposite to the meaning we are looking for. However, "thrifty" means economical and good at saving and spending money, so this answer choice is perfect. For final clarification, “adept” means skilled and “deluded” means misled or deceived.

Example Question #3 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the pair of words that best completes the following sentence.

The jury ruled that the claims of the __________ were not __________ and therefore found him guilty.

Possible Answers:

warden . . . reprehensible

convicted . . . dismissible

perjury . . . malleable

jury . . . impregnable

accused . . . defensible

Correct answer:

accused . . . defensible

Explanation:

The context of the sentence tells you that this incident is taking place in a courtroom. Because the first underlined word is a person who is found guilty, the best answer is “accused,” which means person who is formally said to have committed a crime. You also know that because the jury found that the claims of the accused were not enough to stop him from being found guilty, the claims must have not been “defensible,” which means justifiable or able to be defended. “Perjury” is the act of lying in court; “malleable” means flexible; “accused” means charged with; “impregnable” means not able to be conquered or passed through; “convicted” means person shown in court to have committed a crime; “dismissible” means able to be ignored; “warden” means guard; and “reprehensible” means disgraceful.

Example Question #1 : Two Blank Sentences

At the end of the long line, the last two men spoke with irritation.  The __________ man was particularly __________, and continually voiced his annoyance to the man at the very end of the line.

Possible Answers:

burly . . . bombastic

secondary . . . exasperated

agitated . . . annoying

penultimate . . . vexed

malicious . . . retiring

Correct answer:

penultimate . . . vexed

Explanation:

The “penultimate” position is the second from last. If the two men talking are the last and the second from last, our speaking man is the “penultimate” man.  To be “annoyed” is to be vexed, a word derived from related Latin roots meaning to annoy and reflected in the related word “vexation.”

Example Question #4 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Desperate to __________ the results of the survey, which indicated that he was strongly disliked by the general public, the congressman attempted to __________ the company not to publish it.

Possible Answers:

distract . . . suspend

sustain . . . conceal

galvanize . . . malign

suppress . . . induce

mollify . . . disregard

Correct answer:

suppress . . . induce

Explanation:

That the survey on the congressman's popularity was negative provides a strong clue that his reaction would be negative. This matches his desire to suppress it, and "induce" is the only word that makes contextual sense for the latter portion of the sentence. So, the correct answer is "suppress . . . induce."

Example Question #5 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The __________ information he provided about his childhood wasn't necessary; he needed to be more __________ and spend less time talking about his past and more time talking about the deficiencies of the public school system.

Possible Answers:

extraneous . . . concise

arbitrary . . . verbose

obscure . . . erudite

cryptic . . . succinct

articulate . . . dogmatic

Correct answer:

extraneous . . . concise

Explanation:

The key to this question is the phrase "wasn't necessary," which indicates that he spoke about nonessential ("extraneous") information. Thus he needed to shorten his speech, or make it more "concise."

Example Question #6 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Despite the advice he had received to project a confident __________, James realized that being __________ with the interviewers made him much more endearing than bragging about his accomplishments could have.

Possible Answers:

countenance . . . disingenuous

persona . . . distinguished

description . . . illusioned

demeanor . . . forthright

attitude . . . distinguished

Correct answer:

demeanor . . . forthright

Explanation:

"Countenance" and "demeanor" could both work for the first blank. That James was doing the opposite of bragging gives a strong contextual clue that the second word will be similar to honest. This is exactly what "forthright" means.

Example Question #4 : Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

The protestors were __________ at being arrested since they had been making their concerns heard __________.

Possible Answers:

petite . . . peacefully

voracious . . . arbitrarily

incredulous . . . amiably

belligerent . . . redundantly

despondent . . . violently

Correct answer:

incredulous . . . amiably

Explanation:

"Incredulous" means shocked or indicating disbelief, and "amiably" means acting in a friendly or agreeable manner, so "incredulous . . . amiably" is the correct answer because its words best fit the sentence's context.

Example Question #1 : Conjunctions And Sentence Logic In Two Blank Sentences

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

The promotion to supervisor was all that Larry had been working for, and when it went to a coworker to whom Larry considered himself superior, he was __________ and considered __________ his position.

Possible Answers:

furious . . . acquiring

oblivious . . . donating

enamored . . . discussing

contemporary . . . lamenting

distraught . . . resigning

Correct answer:

distraught . . . resigning

Explanation:

That Larry considers the promoted coworker to be inferior to himself tells us that his emotions towards this coworker should be negative. "Furious" and "distraught" are each potentially correct choices for the first blank, because "furious" is synonymous with enraged and "distraught" is synonymous with upset. This leaves "resigning" or "acquiring" as options for the second's second blank. "Resign" means to give up one's position, and "acquire" means obtain or receive, so "resign" makes more sense because this is clearly a situation where Larry is considering leaving the company.

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