Practice Test 2 - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

20 questions. Answer them in any order, then submit to see your score and every explanation.

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1. In a science demonstration, the teacher places a spoon in a cup of ice water. She says the spoon becomes chilly after a minute, feeling cool but still comfortable to touch. Then she takes a metal rod from a freezer and warns students it is frigid. When a student touches it briefly, the cold feels sharp and almost painful. The teacher explains that both words describe cold, but one suggests a stronger level. The class notices the chilly spoon warms in a hand quickly, while the frigid rod stays cold longer. Students write that chilly can describe a cool day, but frigid fits extreme cold. What does frigid mean in contrast to chilly as used in the text?
2. Read the passage and choose the completion that best matches tone and meaning. Our class debate is about whether homework should be limited on weekends. I think it should. Weekends are often the only time students can rest, help family, or play sports without rushing. When teachers assign large projects on Friday, some students feel trapped at home, staring at a screen instead of recharging. I understand that practice matters, and I am not asking for zero work. A short review or reading assignment can make sense. However, piling on hours of tasks does not always improve learning. It can simply increase stress, which makes it harder to focus on Monday. Which completion preserves the author's intended tone? "I am not asking for zero work; I am asking for _____."
3. A period of calm and ------- is often a necessary precursor to productive negotiation, as it is difficult to find common ground amidst chaos.
4. The critic acknowledged the movie's clever plot but ------- its lack of emotional depth, calling the characters unconvincing.
5. DEFT
6. In gym class, students practice a new relay race. The coach says to jog during warm-ups so bodies adjust slowly. Students move at an easy pace and can still talk while running. Later, the coach blows a whistle and tells them to sprint to the finish line. The students lean forward and run as fast as they can for a short distance. One student tries to sprint during warm-ups and gets tired too quickly. Another student jogs during the race and falls behind. The coach explains that both are forms of running, but they differ in speed and effort. Based on the passage, which sentence best explains the difference between jog and sprint?
7. TACITURN
8. MEANDER:
9. In a short story, Lina hears a crash in the hallway during a storm. She wants to check on her little brother, but the thunder makes her knees shake. Even while scared, she walks toward the sound and calls his name. The narrator describes her courage as the steady choice to act despite fear. Later, Lina's friend Mateo runs outside to grab a soccer ball rolling toward the street. He does it quickly, without thinking about cars or rain. The narrator calls that bravery because it is a bold, sudden action in a risky moment. Lina later admits she was afraid the whole time, but she kept moving anyway. Mateo says he only realized the danger after he returned. Based on the passage, how does the author differentiate between courage and bravery?
10. Despite the team's relentless efforts, their attempt to break the world record proved to be -------, as they fell short by a few seconds.
11. Read the passage and choose the completion that best matches tone and meaning. My grandma keeps a small notebook in her kitchen drawer. It is not fancy, and the cover is bent at the corners. Inside, she writes short lines about her days: "Planted tomatoes," "Called my sister," "Watched the rain." When I asked why, she said the notebook helps her notice what she might forget. I started my own, expecting it to feel like homework. Instead, it felt like turning on a lamp. I began to see tiny moments that mattered, like the smell of warm bread or the sound of my dog sighing in his sleep. The pages did not make my life perfect, but they made it clearer. Which phrase would best fit the tone established in the passage? "Instead, it felt like turning on a lamp, because it _____."
12. SUBJUGATE
13. Read the passage and choose the sentence that best continues the passage's tone and meaning. Friends and neighbors, we did not choose the fire that swept our hills, but we can choose what happens next. Ash covers the trails where we once biked, and the air still smells sharp. Even so, I have watched volunteers hand out water, masks, and calm words. I have seen firefighters return to check on families they met only yesterday. This is what community looks like: not perfect, but present. We will plant trees again, and we will rebuild fences again. Most of all, we will remember that courage is not the absence of fear; it is action in spite of fear. Which sentence should come next?
14. PROLIFIC
15. EXALT
16. METICULOUS
17. Because the evidence was -------, consisting of only a few contradictory witness statements, the district attorney decided not to press charges.
18. In order to ------- the rare book's fragile pages from further decay, the librarian stored it in a climate-controlled vault with low humidity.
19. Because the politician wanted to avoid answering the question directly, he used -------, speaking all around the issue without giving a straight answer.
20. Unlike fish, which are aquatic, lions are ------- animals that live almost exclusively on land.

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