Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, and Variety

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ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning › Synonyms: Adjectives Describing Quality, Quantity, and Variety

Questions 1 - 10
1

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

SALUTARY

Beneficial

Dire

Reluctant

Premeditated

Feisty

Explanation

"Salutary" means promoting health, advantageous, beneficial. To provide further help, "premeditated" means planned; "feisty" means surprisingly tough; "dire" means a bad situation, desperate; "reluctant" means unwilling, not wanting to do something.

2

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

REVOLTING

Nauseating

Disquieted

Progressive

Irritated

Rotting

Explanation

Something that is "revolting" is disgusting. Now, this could also be the present participle of the verb "revolt," meaning to rebel, butnone of the options presented match that meaning. Therefore, we are looking for something that is akin to "disgusting." While something that is "rotting" is likely to be disgusting, this is not the same being revolting, as "rotting" refers to a specific process of organic decay, not the feeling produced by that process.The only option that provides a direct synonym is "nauseating," which describes something that is sickening (in the way that something revolting is sickening).

3

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

MEANDERING

Circuitous

Foolish

Impatient

Annoying

Tedious

Explanation

When something "meanders" it moves in a way that is not direct but, instead, zigzags from one point to another. Now, this can be used to describe physical motion ("meandering in the fields"). It can also be used to describe something physical and motionless, like a path that zigzags and thus is said to "meander." Finally, it can be used to describe things like thought processes. Someone's "meandering thoughts" circle about, considering different things for some time before finally resting in a conclusion. Thus, the word "circuitous" works well as a synonym. This word comes from roots meaning circle or around. "Circuitous" reasoning is a kind of thinking that takes a much longer time to arrive at its end than is strictly necessary. A circuitous path is one that meanders quite a bit before reaching its destination.

4

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

MYRIAD

Innumerable

Structure

Pyramid

Portrait

Overabundance

Explanation

The word “myriad” is derived from the Greek for "10,000." In general, it is used to describe a countless multitude of things. For that reason, the best option among the provided answers is “innumerable.” An example usage would be, “Roger wished to do something so foolish that his friends were able to provide him with myriad reasons, overwhelming him with reasons for making such a stupid choice.”

5

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

TRITE

clichéd

tiny

insignificant

unimportant

parochial

Explanation

The word “trite” is often used in expressions like “his trite, meaningless remarks” or “the phrase was rather trite and common.” It often implies that something is insignificant or not important, but this sense follows on the main meaning of the word, namely, overused. It applies to expressions and ideas that have been repeated so often that they have lost their force. They become common knowledge and seem rather uninformative—“everyone knows that trite truth.” Among the options given in the answers, “clichéd” is the best, as it means overused and unoriginal.

6

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

VAPID

Dull

Quick

Risky

Steamy

Appropriate

Explanation

Originally used to describe beverages lacking in flavor, "vapid" came to describe anything that is dull or insipid.

7

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

PROLIFIC

Abundant

Flowery

Ornate

Famous

Prominent

Explanation

The word “prolific” comes from the Latin for “bearing offspring.” When an animal is “prolific” it bears much fruit or many children. When an artist is prolific, he or she produces many works. An example sentence would be, “The old man had been a prolific author during his lifetime, writing over a hundred best-selling thriller novels.”

8

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

FRAGILE

Delicate

Glassy

Fractured

Shattered

Cheap

Explanation

The word "fragile" means weak or easily broken. Now, most of your options are likely tempting, for they remind you of glass, which is easily broken, but the only option that directly indicates a kind of fragility or weakness is "delicate." When something is "delicate," it is not very strong. Sometimes, we speak of "delicate health" in someone who is sickly. We can also speak of a "delicate situation," meaning that the situation could fall apart easily.

9

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

TITANIC

Large

Uneven

Ancient

Recent

Lost

Explanation

"Titanic" means very large. Think of the famous ship the Titanic, it was known for two qualities -being supposedly unsinkable and being very, very large. The word "titanic" means extremely big.

10

Select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.

AESTHETIC

attractive

affluent

sanitary

disciplined

Explanation

"Aesthetic" describes something having to do with beauty. Be careful not to confuse it with similar sounding words like "ascetic" (harshly disciplined) or "aseptic" (sanitary).

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