Nouns

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ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning › Nouns

Questions 1 - 10
1

Sentence completions: Fill in the blank(s) to complete the sentence.

My grandfather lost an arm in the war, but despite missing a __________, he was easily the best golfer in our family.

limb

sole

skeleton

nose

brain

Explanation

“Limb” is a name given to arms and legs. To further help you, "sole" is the name of the bottom of your feet; "skeleton" is the collection of bones that make up a body.

2

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Some people thought that Wulfgang was a ____________, ruling over the people with a cruel and merciless will.

tyrant

prince

noble

monarch

criminal

Explanation

Apparently Wulfgang was a rather horrible leader of the people. Now, the best option will be a word that describes such a leader. This is more than being a criminal, which is really too general of a term. (Also, we rarely use the word criminal to describe a kind of leader. It usually applies to individual citizens.) A tyrant is someone who rules cruelly, often for his or her own advantage. This is the only option that expresses both ruling and doing so in a bad and cruel manner.

3

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Unlike the many restaurant choices available in the city, the small town did not have a great __________ of options for the people living there.

variety

quality

distinctiveness

healthiness

culture

Explanation

The general idea in this sentence is to contrast large cities to small ones, particularly as regards their restaurants. Large cities have many choices, whereas there seem to be few choices in small towns. This means that there are not many choices and hence not a wide "variety" of options. When we say that there are "various" options, we mean to say that there are a number of different ones. This state of having a number of different options is called "variety."

4

Choose the word that best completes the following sentence.

He knew that his friend was in __________, so he rushed over to warn him of the danger.

jeopardy

bewilderment

force

triumph

envy

Explanation

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.

5

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

Your legal __________ is the person who is responsible for looking after you.

guardian

champion

competitor

actor

professor

Explanation

Someone who is responsible for looking after someone else is called a “guardian.” A “champion” is someone who wins or has won something; a “competitor” is s_omeone who takes part in a competition_ or someone who takes part in a game; an “actor” is _someone who plays a role, like a movie st_ar; and a “professor” is a teacher of college or university students.

6

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

After returning from a vacation far away in the Bahamas, it was good to be surrounded by the ___________ of home.

familiarity

reliability

security

soundness

faithfulness

Explanation

On vacation, everything is foreign, but at home, things are "familiar." The other answer choices are as follows: "faithfulness" is loyalty; "soundness" is validity or reasonableness; and "reliability" is trustworthiness or the ability to count on someone to do what he or she says they will do.

7

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

My favorite part of going to the cinema is watching the __________; sometimes I leave before the movie even starts!

previews

prefaces

prologues

reviews

epilogues

Explanation

The author tells us that he enjoys a certain part of going to the cinema so much that he often leaves before the movie even starts. This tells us he must enjoy something that comes before the movie. The correct answer is therefore “previews.” The prefix "pre-" means coming before. To provide further help, a “review” is a comment about the quality of something after experiencing it; the “epilogue” is the part of the story that comes after the main story; the “prologue” is the part of the story that comes before the main story; “preface” means introduction.

8

Choose the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.

When the __________ for being a member the club grew much stricter than they had previously been, it lost several members who did not meet the new conditions.

requirements

tactics

mettles

histories

emotions

Explanation

We can infer that we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "conditions," because the club "lost several members who did not meet the new conditions." "Requirements" is a noun that means either "things that are needed or wanted" or "things that are compulsory; necessary conditions," and because "requirements" best fits the context of the sentence, "requirements" is the correct answer.

9

Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.

On the last day of school the three friends made a(n) __________ that they would stay friends forever.

oath

audience

tradition

accomplice

kinship

Explanation

Based on the context of this sentence you are looking for a noun that describes a promise made between people about future behavior. So, the correct answer is an "oath" which means a pledge, a promise, a vow. Additionally, an "audience" is a group of people who watches a performance; an "accomplice" is someone who helps someone commit a crime; a "tradition" is a long-lasting cultural belief, a social practice passed down from previous generations; "kinship" means family relationship.

10

Sentence Completions: Select the word or phrase that most correctly completes the sentence.

After getting her three children dressed, making them breakfast, fixing them lunches, and dropping them off at school, the busy mom took a much needed __________ from her hectic day.

breather

exercise

solution

interruption

Explanation

This question is one in which filling in the blank with each answer is useful for finding the best word for the sentence. "Exercise" and "solution" don't make sense in the context of the mom's busy, hectic day. "Interruption" sort of works, but as it means a pause without necessarily implying rest, it doesn't quite fit. A "breather" is a break, or a rest. The busy mom needs a rest, so "breather" is the best answer choice and the correct answer.

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