Synonyms: Nouns - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

The word "banquet" is likely very familiar to you. You likely have been to some banquets at the end of the year for various groups (sporting, scouts, or something else). Such meals are often marked to celebrate something—a successful season, devotion to the scouting way of life, etc. They are celebratory and often large. They are not simple meals, like dinners or suppers. Likewise, even though they might be buffet-style, that is only by chance. (Often it is easier to have a big banquet by providing the food in a buffet line.) A "banquet," strictly speaking, is a large meal, generally formal, and extraordinary in character. (It is generally combined with awards, speeches, and so forth.) The best option among those provided is "feast," which is used to name a meal that is special and large in character.

Maybe you have heard your siblings or parents talking about "garment bags." These are bags that are used for carrying clothes. (For instance, a uniform might be carried in a garment bag when going to a football game.) The word "garment" is not about any particular kind of clothing that might be put into such a bag. Instead, the word "garment" simply means clothing item. Thus, the best option provided here is "attire." Perhaps you have heard someone say something like, "He changed his attire so he could look nicer for the dance." "Attire" is a synonym for "clothes." (It does sometimes mean "nice clothes", but it is also fine for simple "clothes" as well!)

A “monarch” is a king or queen, so "queen" is the correct answer. A “representative” is someone chosen in a democracy to carry out the wishes of the people.

"Novice" derives from the Latin "novus," which means new, so it makes sense that a "novice" is someone who is new at something, or a"beginner." As for the other answer choices, an “expert” is someone who knows a lot about something and has a lot of experience; a “respondent” is someone who responds to or answers something; and a “representative” is someone who is chosen by the people who carry out their wishes, and a "librarian" is a person who works at and helps run a library.

A “peer” is a classmate, someone in your social group. "Fellow," when used as a noun, can mean someone doing the same thing as you are, so it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "peer."

A “narrator” is a"storyteller_._" As for the other answer choices, a “witness” is someone who has seen an event, as to “witness” means to see. A "reporter" is someone who researches and writes news stories. While the narrator might be a character in a story if the story is told in first-person perspective (the "I" perspective), a "narrator" is not necessarily a "character," and the words have distinct meanings.

If someone is living in squalor, they are living in misery and unpleasantness; this is often due to a lack of financial resources.

"Phobia" is a noun that means a strong fear of something particular, so we need to pick out an answer choice that is also a noun and means something like an extreme fear. While "displeasure" may look like a potentially correct answer because a phobia might give one displeasure, "displeasure" does not mean the same thing as "phobia," so it cannot be the correct answer. Because "fear" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "phobia," "fear" is the correct answer.

"Alias," when used as a noun, means "a false or assumed identity." The word can also be used as an adverb "used to indicate that a named person is also known or more familiar under another specified name." (The adverb functions in the same way as the phrase "also know as," but is specifically used to discuss real and assumed names.) So, we need to pick out an answer choice that has to do with names, specifically, with fake or assumed names. Since "fake name" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "alias," it is the correct answer.

The magnitude of an object or person refers to their size and often suggests vastness.

"Mischief" is a noun that means "playful misbehavior or troublemaking, especially in children," or "harm or trouble caused by someone or something." So, while "mistake" may look like a good answer choice because both "mischief" and "mistake" begin with the prefix "mis-", which means "wrongly," "mistake" does not mean the same thing as "mischief," so "mistake" cannot be the correct answer. "Trouble" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "mischief," so "trouble" is the correct answer.

"Tempo" is a noun that means either pace, often specifically the pace of music. While "quick" and "slow" may describe different speeds, neither word means the same thing as "tempo," and while "music" may proceed at a certain tempo, "music" does not mean "tempo" either. "Pace," however, is a noun that means speed or rate, and because "pace" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "tempo," "pace" is the correct answer.

"Perseverance" is a noun that means "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." While "bravery" might look like a potentially correct answer, because someone who is brave might also demonstrate perseverance, "bravery" does not mean "perseverance," so it cannot be the correct answer. "Persistence," however, is a noun that means either "firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition" or "the continued or prolonged existence of something." Because "persistence" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "perseverance," it is the correct answer.

If there is pandemonium, it means there is a high level of commotion or chaos.

"Allegiance" is a noun that means "loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause." That means that "rebellion" can't be the correct answer, because "rebellion" means "an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler" or "the action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention," so "rebellion" is an antonym of "allegiance." "Loyalty," however, is a noun that means "the quality of being loyal to someone or something," so "loyalty" is the correct answer because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "allegiance."

"Agony" is a noun that means "extreme mental or physical pain." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "extreme pain." That means that "comfort" can't be the correct answer, because "comfort" means "a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint" or "consolation for grief or anxiety." So, "comfort" is an antonym of "agony." "Torment," however, is a word that when used as a noun means "severe physical or mental suffering" or "a cause of such suffering," so "torment" is the correct answer because it is the answer choice closest in meaning to "torment."

The correct answer is "distress," which means anguish or suffering. "Misery" is a negative feeling, and "calmness," "joy," and "pleasure" are all emotions with positive connotations.

Another word for "philanthropy" is "charity." Both words mean generosity in donating things or money to people who need them. "Charity" is the best choice because it is a synonym of "philanthropy."

The correct answer is "plan." A "strategy" is a plan of action. The other words do not mean anything like "plan."

When someone has remorse, they have regret for a wrongdoing.