Synonyms: Verbs About Communicating, Arguing, and Understanding - ISEE Middle Level: Verbal Reasoning

To "equivocate" means to speak indirectly, or to be unclear. Someone might say, “Don’t equivocate, tell me how you really feel!” So, "be unclear" is the correct answer.

"Gape" means stare with mouth open in surprise or wonder, so "stare" is the best match.

"Bilk" is a verb that means cheat or swindle, so "defraud" is the best match, as it means deprive of something by trickery or fraud.

The word "discern" means find out. "Find out" is the best choice because it is a part of the definition of "discern." Considering the other options, "insult" means offend, "certify" means make true, and "lie" means fib or tell someone something that is not true as if it is true.

To "nag" someone means to annoy and bother someone with constant criticism. To provide further help, "sanctify" means make holy, make sacred; "encounter" means meet, come across, find.

To "scrutinize" means to examine carefully and thoroughly. To provide further help, "allay" means soothe, calm, diminish in intensity; "locate" means find; "query" means question.

A "quarrel" is an argument. The best choice is "argument" as it is a part of the definition of "quarrel." Considering the other choices, a "quarry" is a pit from which stone is obtained,"calm" means peaceful,and an "announcement" is a formal message where information is made publically known for the first time.

To "negate" something, like a claim, means to invalidate it, cancel it out, or deny that it exists. So, "invalidate" is the correct answer.

"Compromise" means settle a dispute in order to reach an agreement by having each side give up something they want, so "settle" is the synonym.

The word "chastise" most nearly means reprimand. If a parent chastises a child for his or her behavior, for example, they scold or discipline the child.

Since "wail" as a noun means a prolonged cry of pain, grief, or anger, or, as a verb, to make such a noise; we're looking for words that have to do with noises people make, specifically those they make when something bad is happening or has happened. Of the given answer choices, "whistle," "shriek," and "cheer" all refer to noises people can make; however, only "shriek," which as a noun means a high-pitched piercing cry or sound; a scream, or as a verb, to make such a noise, is the closest in meaning to "wail" and so is the correct answer.

Since "goad" is a verb that means provoke or annoy someone so as to simulate some action or reaction, we're looking for a verb that means something like provoke. While "ask" might seem like a good answer because asking someone to do something is one way to get them to do it, it is not a synonym of "goad," so it is not the correct answer. "Urge," on the other hand, means try earnestly or persistently to persuade someone to do something; since it is closest in meaning to "goad," it is the correct answer.

"Jeer" is a verb meaning "make rude and mocking remarks, typically in a loud voice," so we need to pick out an answer choice that is a verb and means something like "mock." "Ridicule," when used as a verb, means "subject someone or something to mockery and derision," and is the only answer choice that is close in meaning to "mock." So, "ridicule" is the correct answer.

While "ignore" might look like a potentially correct answer, "heed" actually means "pay attention to" or "take notice of," so "ignore" is actually an antonym of "heed" and cannot be the correct answer. "Pay attention to" is synonymous with "heed," so "pay attention to" is the correct answer.

"Ramble," when used as a verb, can mean either "walk for pleasure, typically without a definite route," when describing a plant, "put out long shoots and grow over walls or other plants," or "talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way." While all of the possible answer choices have to do with talking, only "drone," a verb that can mean "speak tediously in a dull monotonous tone," is a synonym of "ramble," so "drone" is the correct answer.

"Bamboozle" is a verb which can mean either "fool or cheat someone" or "confound or perplex," so we need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "fool someone," "cheat someone," or "perplex." "Baffle," a verb that means "totally bewilder or perplex," is the answer choice closest in meaning to "bamboozle," so "baffle" is the correct answer.

"Exclude" means to deny someone access to something, or to keep them out of something.

"Spurn" means to reject with contempt.

"Harangue," when used as a verb, means "lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner." So, we need to pick out an answer that refers to speech and means something like "lecture someone aggressively." "Chat," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "chat," when used as a verb, means "talk in a friendly and informal way," making "chat" an antonym of "harangue." "Admonish," however, is a verb that means "warn or reprimand someone firmly," and because "admonish" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "harangue," "admonish" is the correct answer.