Synonyms: Determining Part of Speech

Help Questions

ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning › Synonyms: Determining Part of Speech

Questions 1 - 10
1

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

FIELD

Answer

Publish

Recreation

Joy

Talent

Explanation

This question is using "field" in a way that you might not recognize at first glance. The word does indeed indicate a kind of physical field in which grass (and other things) might be found. The word can also be used as a verb. In this sense, we say things such as, "He fielded questions regarding the event." This means that the person received and answered the questions. (This is somewhat like a baseball catcher being in the field and catching balls—though, in this case, the "balls" are questions!)

2

Synonyms: Select the word whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

EXTRACT

remove

push

write

edit

Explanation

The word "extract" literally means pull out. The prefix "ex-" should be familiar, for it is used in words like "exit" (go out) and "exhume" (dig a body out of the ground). The "-tract" portion comes from the Latin for to pull. It is related to the word "tractor"—a farm vehicle that pulls large machinery. Therefore, to "extract" means pull out. Among the options provided, "remove" is the best synonym for "extract." Sometimes, we use the word "extract" to describe how someone can "pull out" a selection of text from a larger work. This smaller section is "extracted" and is sometimes called an "extract." However, do not be fooled into thinking that "write" or "edit" mean the same thing as such textual extraction!

3

Choose the best synonym for the word in capital letters.

ANCHOR

secure

imitate

lengthen

follow

change

Explanation

"Anchor"means to secure firmly in position.

4

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

EXTRACT

Remove

Demand

Imply

Found

Improve

Explanation

To "extract" means to remove, so "remove" is the correct answer. To help you, to "imply" means to suggest without directly stating, to "founder" means to struggle and sink, and an "impasse" is a deadlock.

5

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

BUFF

Polish

Forgotten

Malinger

Invited

Jesting

Explanation

"Buff" is a word that can take on a variety of meanings; as an adjective, it can mean " a yellowish-beige color" or, more informally, "being in good physical shape with fine muscle tone." As a verb, "buff" can mean "polish something." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "yellow," "in good physical shape," or "polish something." "Polish" is an answer choice, and because it is the answer choice that is closest in meaning to "buff," "polish" is the correct answer.

6

A synonym of "maroon" is __________.

strand

rescue

maintain

waver

pardon

Explanation

"Maroon" is a verb that means "leave someone trapped and isolated in an inaccessible place, especially an island." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "abandon." "Rescue," then, cannot be the correct answer because "rescue" is an antonym of "maroon." "Strand," however, when used as a verb, means either "drive or leave a boat, sailor, or sea creature aground on a shore," or "leave someone without the means to move from somewhere." Because "strand" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "maroon," "strand" is the correct answer.

7

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

JAR

Shake

Tremble

Appease

Flex

Mar

Explanation

Don't get the verb confused with the noun: when used as a verb, "jar" means send a painful and damaging shock. "Shake" is the best match, because "shake" can mean shock, distress, or discompose.

8

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

PLUNDER

Loot

Skirmish

Campaign

Report

Publicize

Explanation

For this question, your habits might help you get it correct very quickly. Perhaps you have heard the expression "loot and plunder." These words are synonyms. When used as verbs, they mean to steal, usually in the midst of wartime. As nouns, they just refer to what is stolen. Thus, you can say, "The pirate plundered his captives," but you could also say, "The pirate looted his captives."

9

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

GORGE

Stuff

Cultivate

Poke

Beautify

Defend

Explanation

There are a couple meanings of "gorge" that you may be familiar with, both of which derive from an old French word meaning "throat." As a noun, a gorge is a narrow pass, often between mountains. Since our synonym options here are verbs, though, we need to use the verb "gorge," which means to consume greedily. The most literal sense would involve eating (filling your "throat"), though you can also gorge (or stuff) yourself metaphorically with things like knowledge or a movie marathon.

10

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.

MEDIUM

Material

Jab

Concern

Spirit

Pungency

Explanation

"Medium," when used as a noun, can mean " the intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed to the senses or a force acts on objects at a distance," "the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer," or "a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead and the living." So, we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "an intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed," "the material or form used by an artist," or "a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead." While a medium might claim to be in contact with a spirit, "medium" does not mean "spirit," so "spirit" cannot be the correct answer. "Material," however, is synonymous with "the material or form used by an artist, composer, or writer," and because "material" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "medium," "material" is the correct answer.

Page 1 of 2
Return to subject