Style, Intensity, and Connotation in Word-Based Sentence Completions - ISEE Lower Level: Verbal Reasoning

Classes usually focus on ideas or "concepts." This differs from "ambitions" (goals or things people want to achieve); "procedures," (systematic ways of doing things); "objects" (aims of plans or things); and "plans" (definite, often multi-step ideas about how to deal with or accomplish something).

Since Heidi is upset because of her brother's actions, it probably means that her brother aggravates or "antagonizes" her. The other answer choices mean the following: "soothe" means calm; and "encourage" means support. "Interrupt" and "tease" are tricky choices. While it might bother and annoy someone to be teased or interrupted, we are told that Heidi's younger brother specifically steals her favorite stuffed animal, which isn't "teasing" or "interrupting." So, "antagonize" is the best choice because it is a more general word.

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.

In this sentence, it is made clear that the student has an excess of energy and as a result is pacing about his room. This indicates that he is "restless," meaning that he is n_ot able to relax himself_. "Restless" is therefore the best way to complete this sentence.

In this sentence, the clue words as to what to fill the blank with are "making her feel alive and full of energy." The word that goes in the blank should have a meaning similar to this. "Invigorates" means to inspire or give one a lot of energy or passion. Therefore, "invigorates" is the correct answer.

Given the context of the sentence, we know that Marshall had studied a lot for his test, and scored well on practice exams, but still scored poorly. This difference between his expectations and reality would cause him to be very surprised, or "shocked." While he might be upset, the words "outraged" and "horrified" are too strong, and "annoyed" is too weak. "Unimpressed" is not appropriate. Therefore, "surprised" is the best answer.

Gina is described as wearing "a long black dress," which is very formal, as well as "a serious expression." These circumstances indicate a distinct lack of playfulness. "Somber" means serious and lacking in humor. It fits the context of the sentence well, and is therefore the correct answer.

The key clue provided by this sentence is the fact that Mr. Jones goes to the same bagel shop every_morning. Therefore, it can be inferred that he is a lover of "routine,_" which is the correct answer.

Given that ignoring a lack of educational opportunities is a negative quality, the blank should be filled with a negative word. The two negative words are "criticized"and "bothered." ("Questioned" may seem like a potentially correct answer too, but people would question the mayor "about" something, not "for" something.)It is more likely that the mayor would be criticized (critiqued) for his practices, as opposed to bothered (annoyed). Therefore, "criticized"is the best answer.

Here, given that Jonathan is going to pay off his car every month, he is paying it off piece by piece. To pay something off in installments means to pay something off incrementally, one portion at a time. Therefore, installments is the correct answer.

Long-winded means to talk at length in a tedious way. Given that Jeff takes ten minutes to tell a story that most people could tell in a fraction of that time, the best word to fill the blank would be one that indicates he takes a long time to tell his story. Long-winded is therefore the best fit.

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.

This sentence contains multiple context clues, any of which can be used to narrow down the answer choices. First, Rachel's plan was "outlandish," meaning it was ridiculous or at least strange. Even more helpful is the end of the sentence, where we're told that the plan was "not                      enough" to use. So, we're looking for a positive quality that Rachel's plan must have been lacking. This allows us to eliminate "pointless" and "inadequate," which would both be negative qualities in a plan. Similarly, the committee would be unlikely to reject the proposal for not being "extravagant" enough, especially since we already know that it was "outlandish." "Compatible" refers to two things that can work together well, or two people that can get along together well, and since no two things are being compared in the sentence, "compatible" cannot be the correct answer. The final answer remaining is "sensible," which fits perfectly in this sentence.

“Content” is the correct answer because it means satisfied with the way things are.

You would hurt yourself if you jumped into a pool and there was not much water there. When water is not deep, it's called “shallow.” “Supreme” means the best.

Because the hot air balloon went up into the sky, we can pick out “ascended” as the correct answer. The word “dismissed” means ignored an idea or sent away; “reported” means spoke, wrote, or told about.

Here, the sentence plants the clue that because the window is very dirty, it is not possible to see through it. Thus, the best word to describe the window would be one that indicates its lack of clarity. "Opaque"means cloudy and nontransparent, so itis therefore the best word to complete the sentence. While "obscure" may seem like a potentially correct answer choice because the window is "obscuring" Gina's view, the window itself is not "obscure," which here means hidden or unknown. Similarly, since Gina cannot see through the window at all, we cannot accurately call it "translucent," since something translucent still lets some light through and can thus still be seen through somewhat.

Here, the sentence describes a princess who is pampered and is able to do as she pleases. "Leisure" refers to the ability to do whatever one wants with one's time, so a "life of leisure" would be one where one has no commitments such as a job. So, "leisure" is the answer choice that best fits the sentence's context.

Bill owes his friend some money, but does not pay him. From this information you can determine that this would likely lead to an argument or a fight. The correct answer is therefore "dispute" which means argument, a disagreement over something. To provide further help, "frequent" means happening often; "accord" means agreement; "vague" means unclear; a "demonstration" is a protest, a showing of some thing or some feeling.