All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #2103 : Isee Upper Level (Grades 9 12) Verbal Reasoning
ENTICE
Lure
Err
Mourn
Suppress
Revolve
Lure
"Entice" means to attract or to lure. "Err" means to make a mistake. "Suppress" means to crush or quell. "Mourn" means to lament or to grieve. "Revolve" means to orbit or to circle.
Example Question #11 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
FATHOM
comprehend
dark
obscure
investigate
perplex
comprehend
The word “fathom” has an interesting derivation. It comes from the measurement of someone’s arms being stretched outward (like “foot” was originally designated to measure the “standard foot size”). It now is used to measure the depth of water and is equal to about six feet per unit. Since it is associated with being “deep,” the verb form of “fathom” means to understand something difficult or deep; therefore, it can mean to comprehend.
Example Question #12 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BESEECH
Describe
Evacuate
Decline
Beg
Well up
Beg
"Beseech" is a verb that means implore or entreat. "Decline," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "decline" means refuse in a polite way, making "decline" an antonym of "beseech," not a synonym. "Beg," however, is a verb that means ask in a humble manner, and because "beg" is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "beseech," "beg" is the correct answer.
Example Question #13 : Synonyms: Verbs
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
STYMIE
explicate
inveigle
thwart
abjure
feint
thwart
"Stymie" and "thwart" both mean to frustrate or hinder. "Explicate" means to clarify or explain. "Abjure" means to give up. "Feint" means a pretense or ruse. "Inveigle" means to entice or manipulate.
Example Question #14 : Synonyms: Verbs
Answer the following question by selecting the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
SPURN
sanction
extirpate
solicit
amalgamate
repudiate
repudiate
"Spurn" and "repudiate" both mean to turn away or ignore. "Sanction" means an embargo or punishment. "Solicit" means to plead for or to try to sell. "Amalgamate" means to blend or consolidate. "Extirpate" means to destroy or uproot.
Example Question #15 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
QUIBBLE
Denigrate
Bicker
Importune
Concur
Whet
Bicker
"Quibble" and "bicker" both mean to disagree over a minor point. "Concur" means to agree or approve. "Denigrate" means to belittle or malign. "Importune" means to demand or insist. "Whet" means to make sharp or hone.
Example Question #16 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
BELABOR
Doff
Slake
Suborn
Atone
Rehash
Rehash
"Belabor" and "rehash" both mean to dwell on. "Slake" means to decrease or assuage. "Doff" means to remove or discard. "Suborn" means to bribe. "Atone" means to compensate or make amends.
Example Question #17 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SPURN
Manage
Rebuff
Consider
Accept
Verify
Rebuff
"Spurn" is a verb that means "reject with disdain or contempt." So, "accept" cannot be the correct answer, because it is an antonym of "spurn," not a synonym. "Rebuff," a word that when used as a verb means "reject someone or something in an abrupt or ungracious manner," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "spurn," so "rebuff" is the correct answer.
Example Question #18 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PLACATE
Enjoy
Satisfy
Provoke
Appease
Position
Appease
The word “placate” is related distantly to “to please,” but it most properly means “to please someone in order to calm him or her.” Consider its use in an example sentence: “Although the worker had been quite angry about his low pay, the promise of a raise managed to placate his rage.” The word “appease” does not merely mean “to please,” but even more properly means “to soothe the demands of someone.”
Example Question #19 : Synonyms: Verbs
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
RECOGNIZE
See
Recollect
Think
Formulate
Forget
Recollect
The word "recognize" means to identify as something previously known. The best choice here is "recollect" because is shares a similar meaning—to remember. Considering the other choices, the word "forget" is an antonym of "recognize" that means to be let slip from one's memory, "think" means consider, and "see" means look at and notice.
All ISEE Upper Level Verbal Resources
