Synonyms: Adjectives and Adverbs

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ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning › Synonyms: Adjectives and Adverbs

Questions 1 - 10
1

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

CONCEITED

Vain

Insomniac

Restrained

Autonomous

Independent

Explanation

"Conceited" means too obsessed with oneself; being proud, vain, and arrogant. To provide further guidance, an "insomniac" is someone who has difficulty getting to sleep; "autonomous" and "independent" both describe someone or something that is in charge of itself, and the two words are synonyms of one another; "restrained" means held back, tied down.

2

Synonyms: Select the word or phrase that best matches the word in capital letters.

PHENOMENAL

Extraordinary

Atrocious

Dispeicable

Amicable

Understandable

Explanation

"Phenomenal" is defined as very remarkable. This is simialr to "extraordinary."

3

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PAINSTAKING

Careful

Careless

Helpful

Helpless

Hapless

Explanation

"Painstaking" means done with great care and patience, meticulous and careful. To provide further help, "hapless" means hopeless, unfortunate, unlucky.

4

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PARTICULAR

Distinct

Dirty

Incomplete

Lazy

Achieving

Explanation

For the word particular, do not be confused by the "part" portion of the word. The word "particular" is not primarily concerned with being a part (in contrast to being a whole). Instead, something is particular when it is specific. For example, whenever you say, "I have a particular color in mind," this means that you actually have a specific color picked out. You are not undecided. Thus, the best option given here is "distinct." Something that is particular is also distinct. The word can also be used to describe someone who is very picky. A person who is "very particular" is very picky—he or she wants something very distinct.

5

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

LABORIOUS

Difficult

Mediocre

Simple

Mundane

Overt

Explanation

"Labor" means work, so it makes sense that “laborious” means involving hard work, or "difficult." “Mundane” means boring or ordinary; “mediocre” means average when higher quality was expected; and "overt" means obvious or easy to notice.

6

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

SUNDRY

Diverse

Uniform

Stuffy

Obtuse

Unique

Explanation

“Sundry” is an adjective that means “of various kinds; several,” so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like “of various kinds.” That means that “uniform” cannot be the correct answer, because “uniform” can mean “of a similar form to another,” making it an antonym, not a synonym, of “sundry.” “Diverse,” however, is an adjective that means “showing a lot of variety,” and because “diverse” is the answer choice closest in meaning to “sundry,” “diverse” is the correct answer.

7

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

BOUNTIFUL

Abundant

Restricted

Sparse

Sufficient

Superb

Explanation

To be "bountiful" is to have plenty of something or have an "abundance" of it. "Restricted" is the antonym of abundance and indicates having a small amount. "Superb" means excellent in quality; "sufficient" means having enough; and "sparse" means having a small quantity.

8

A synonym of "incontrovertible" is                     .

irrefutable

inconstant

belated

possessive

unbelievable

Explanation

"Incontrovertible" is an adjective that means "not able to be denied or disputed," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "undeniable." "Unbelievable," while beginning with a negative prefix like both "incontrovertible" ("in-") and "undeniable" ("un-") do, actually means "not able to be believed; unlikely to be true," so it is an antonym of "incontrovertible" and "undeniable." "Irrefutable," however, is an adjective that means "impossible to deny or disprove," and because "irrefutable" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "incontrovertible," "irrefutable" is the correct answer.

9

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

PETTY

Insignificant

Lucrative

Important

Dark

Explanation

"Petty" is and adjective that means relatively unimportant, so the answer choice closest in meaning to "petty" is "insignificant," an adjective meaning of no significance, unimportant, or irrelevant. None of the other answer are close in meaning to "petty": "lucrative" is an adjective meaning profitable; "important" is an antonym of "petty" meaning of great significance; and "dark" is an adjective meaning having little light by which to see or closer to black than to white in shade.

10

Synonyms: Select the one word or phrase whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

VITUPERATIVE

Abusive

Neglected

Criticized

Disorganized

Explanation

The word "vituperative" means abusive. So "abusive," a word that means characterized by treating someone badly, is the correct answer. Considering the other choices, "neglected" means not having received a suitable amount of attention, "criticized" means judged harshly by another when describing something,and "disorganized" means careless.

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