ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning › Style, Intensity, and Connotation in Phrase-Based Sentence Completions
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
It was freezing in the house __________.
so they lit a fire
so they took off their clothes
so they ate lots of ice-cream
and they decided never to leave
before keeping their clothes on
To begin with "freezing" means very cold. So, to solve this problem you need to determine which of these answer choices is the most logical reaction to it being very cold in the house. The correct answer then is " . . . so they lit a fire."
Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
He tried to lighten the mood __________.
by cracking jokes
by picking on his friends
yet succeeded
with his cruel punishment
because people were so happy
If the subject was trying to "lighten the mood" (make things seem less serious, cheer people up) then it makes sense that he would do so " . . . by cracking jokes."
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
The runner did not ____________ prepare for the race and was therefore not in good enough shape to run the full course.
sufficiently
regularly
energetically
heedfully
athletically
The key expression in the sentence is not in good enough shape. This means that the runner did not prepare enough to be in good shape for race day. Therefore, his or her training was not sufficient. To "suffice" means to be enough. The opposite of something that is sufficient is something that is _in_sufficient.
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________ to give to this mother.
He is picking flowers
He is eating cake
He is playing quietly
He was performing a play
He spoke loudly
In this question you are told that a boy is doing something " . . . to give to his mother." You know it is a boy because of the pronoun "his." So, which of these answer choices best makes sense as something a boy would give to his mother? The correct answer is "He is picking flowers . . . "
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
As the sickness spreads __________.
more doctors are needed
people are calming down
the government becomes less anxious
medicine is becoming cheaper
fewer people seem to care
To solve this problem you have to determine what would be most likely to occur as a "sickness" (disease) spreads. The correct answer is that " . . . more doctors are needed" to care for the sick people. All the other answer choices are things that would be highly unlikely to occur in the event of a widespread disease. For example, it would likely make medicine more expensive, not cheaper. Additionally, "anxious" means worried.
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
Although the seed was tiny at first, it grew into a(n) __________ tree, much larger than anyone ever expected.
gigantic
healthy
beautiful
large
lovely
This sentence clearly is contrasting the size of the seed to the size of the tree. This helps you to eliminate "lovely," "beautiful," and"healthy." Also, it was so large, that few had expected it to be so big. Therefore, the best choice is "gigantic", which expresses this way of being very big—in contrast to the seed's original tiny size.
Choose the word or set of words that best completes the following sentence.
__________, so the doctor was forced to bring an umbrella.
It always poured with rain on the way to work
The night was dark and cold
He had just gotten out of the swimming pool
It was his birthday tomorrow
He was wet and cold
In this sentence you are told that the doctor was "forced to bring an umbrella." The main reason why someone would bring an umbrella is to prevent them from getting wet. If the doctor was wet or had just gotten out of the pool and umbrella would not really make sense.
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
__________ is that I am poor and he is wealthy.
One difference between us
Something we have in common
However being from the same family
In spite of the fact I find interesting
Notwithstanding our many differences, one likeness we share
To begin with "wealthy" means rich, not poor. So, which of these answer choices matches with this comparison that the speaker is making? The correct answer is "One difference between us . . . " The other answer choices either contain incorrect conjunctions or else are related to similarities not differences. Additionally, "likeness" means similarity; "notwithstanding" means not counting, not considering.
Choose the phrase that best completes the following sentence.
The science teacher, who vehemently believed in the superiority of science above all other school subjects, had a __________ for mathematics.
general distaste
deep love
strong preference
unsurpassed passion
professional respect
Right away, you may have noticed that both the question and the answer choices are extremely emotional! Words like "vehement," "superiority," "love," and "passion" all imply strong feeling. Our task is simply to figure out what type of emotion is being conveyed. We know that the science teacher "vehemently," or very intensely, believes that science is the best school subject. She would certainly never prefer a different subject! Likewise, we can guess that she does not deeply love mathematics, and we certainly know her passion for math would not be "unsurpassed." We're left with only one potential answer. The science teacher must have a "general distaste," or dislike, for mathematics.
Sentence completion: Select the word or phrase that best completes the following sentence.
It is difficult for some people to be alone, so __________.
they spend all their time with others
they venture off into the woods
they refuse to own pets
they neglect all relationships in their lives
they forsake their family
It is difficult for someone to be alone it makes sense that that person would want to spend time with other people. The correct answer is therefore " . . . they spend all their time with others." All of the other answer choices are actions that might be taken by someone who does like to be alone. Additionally, "neglect" means abandon, refuse to pay attention to; "forsake" means abandon, leave; "venture" means undergo a risky or exciting journey.