Sentence Completions - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

When a smell masks other aromas, it does so because of its intensity. The best word that conveys the intensity of a smell is "pungent." Something that is "pungent" has an aroma that is very strong and prevents other scents from being detected.

The context of the sentence tells us that the water in the pool is not deep enough for diving. Shallow water is water that is not deep. To further help you, nimble, agile and flexible are all synonyms and mean having good balance.

If you are in danger, you can also be said to be in “jeopardy.” The word “envy” means je_alousy or wanting something someone else has_; “triumph” means win; "bewilderment" means confusion, and "force" means power or strength.

Rigorous means to be very strict and instense. Given that Rebecca hasn't missed a morning run in two years, she is very diligent and disciplined. The word that best fits the sentence to describe her in this way is rigorous. While ruthless means determined, it has a combative connotation, which is not appropriate for the sentence.

The necklace that the kids found is described as being adorned with many different decorations that make it interesting to look at. We are looking for an answer choice that describes how decorated the necklace is. The best answer choice is "embellished," which means having many decorative features.

The passage conveys that new technologies are created at a very fast and constant pace. The best answer choice is "rapid," because it fits with the passage's message that modern technology changes constantly due to new innovations.

"Ecstatic," "jubilant," and "blissful" all mean happy, and "forlorn" means sad. After months of practice, it would make sense that Julie would feel sad not to make the softbal team, so "forlorn" is the correct answer.

The speaker is saying that he cannot hear anything so it makes sense that the correct answer must mean something like a loud and long-lasting noise. The correct answer is therefore "din." Additionally, "animosity" is dislike; "lukewarm" means neither hot nor cold, mild; "glee" means happiness.

The correct answer is "reduce." "Reduce" means make smaller or lessen. The other words can all make sense grammatically in the sentence, but reduce makes the most sense given that the sentence begins with the phrase "To help the environment."

The sentence contrasts the word describing the colors used in the painting's foreground with the "dull, muted" colors used in its background. This means that we need to pick out a word that means the opposite of "dull" and "muted." "Opaque" and "transparent" each refer to how much light can pass through something—light can't pass through "opaque" objects at all, but lots of light can pass through "transparent" objects, like window panes; neither of these answers can be correct because they are not opposites of "dull" and "muted." Similarly, "speckled" refers to something spotted in appearance and so describes an arrangement of colors, not if they are the opposite of "dull." "Dark" colors can be "dull" and "muted" or rich and vibrant, so "dark" cannot be the correct answer either. This leaves us with the correct answer, "vivid," a word that means bright and lively in appearance. Colors that are "vivid" can be contrasted with colors that are "dull" and "muted."

In this sentence, the words, "by contrast" indicate that there will be a difference between the phrase preceding those words and the adjective that comes afterwards. The opposite of the phrase "good at sports" would be "bad at sports." Someone who is "unathletic," or not athletic, is most likely bad at sports. Therefore, "unathletic" is the correct answer.

Given that Andrea cannot make up her mind, the best word to fill this blank is "indecisive_."_ A tempting wrong choice is "hungry_."_ However, this is not correct, because the sentence doesn't indicate that Andrea has an appetite, only that she is unsure of what she wants to eat. "Mundane" means plain, and is not the correct answer either.

Here, Ariel is being authentic by deciding not to cheat. To be authentic means to be true and honest to oneself. Cheating is the opposite of this. Therefore, authentic is the best answer choice.

Let's divide this sentence into two parts. First, we're told that the teacher usually wanted her days to be "unique and exciting." However, the conjunction "but" lets us know that we're looking for the opposite. In other words, sometimes the teacher looks forward to days that are not unique or exciting. Of the answer choices, a little bit of "variety" is similar to uniqueness; "distinctiveness" can be eliminated for the same reason. Even "amusement" is too close in meaning to "excitement," so we are left with "monotony," a word that refers to repetition of tedious or boring tasks. So, the teacher generally wished for excitement, but occasionally looked forward to a dull or "monotonous" day.

Here, the clue in this sentence is the key phrase "by contrast," which indicates that whatever follows the phrase is the opposite of what came before it. Given that Bob is "generous," and that his sister has a quality that contrasts with his generosity, the blank should be a word that is the opposite of "generous." "Selfish"means never sharing or caring about others, so it is the opposite of "generous" and therefore the correct answer.

You get paid to do your job, so if the author had to get one, it makes sense that he would get more money. The answer is therefore “increase,” which means to go up in amount. It is the opposite of “decrease.” The prefix "in_-_" in this context means up and the prefix "de-" means down. "Inspire” means to get someone to do something by making them feel they want to do it.

From the context, it sounds like the person speaking is afraid of spiders. The word “phobia” means fear, so this is the correct answer. The word “adoration” means love; the word “sorrow” means great sadness; an “attraction” is something you want to go see, like the zoo; and a “demand” is a rude or forceful request for something.

From the context you know that the correct answer must be something similar to the word “family,” this should lead you to the correct answer which is “kin.” “Kin” and “family” are synonyms of one another.

You are told that there is no one left in the restaurant. A place that is empty or abandoned is "deserted." To provide further help, "significant" means important and "crucial" means very important; "gigantic" means very big; "accompanied" means to have gone with.