Word-Based Sentence Completions - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

Notice that the parents are going to "erect" the tree house. This means that they are going to put it up. (Whenever we say that someone is "standing erect", that person is "standing up straight.") From this, we can see that the parents are aiming to build a tree house. This means that the only acceptable option is "construct", which is a verb meaning to build or make.

Gregory is not trying to make an argument to his mother about the vegetables. The sentence implies that he is trying to trick her by his little "maneuver" of putting the remainder of his food onto his father's plate. Therefore, he is trying to deceive her. A deception is a kind of trick that tries to make someone think that something is true when it is not. Something is called "deceptive" when it "tricks" us into thinking something that is not true.

The implication of the sentence is just that Milton began to understand the plight of the ducks in his town. When we perceive something, we come to understand it or to "see" it. So, you could say, "I could perceive that Georgette was angry." This means that you could "sense" or "see" that she was angry.

This sentence implies that Reginald couldn't completely disprove the arguments. He was only able to show reasons that they were crazy. When we "refute" something, we show why it is totally wrong or incorrect. Generally, we talk about refuting an argument or a viewpoint.

This sentence implies that Regis does not want to buy any of the company's products. When you do this, you boycott the company and its products. This is not the same as a strike. A strike happens when employees decide not to work. Now, there is nothing in the sentence that implies that Regis wants to destroy the products. He merely does not want to support the company. He likely just does not want to buy the products. Hence, "boycott" is the best option.

The word "merely" helps to indicate that the child must have "really" loved his mother. It hints that there is an intensification of the word "love" expressed in the second half of the sentence. Whenever we "adore" something or someone, we love that thing greatly. Often, this word is used to describe the kind of love and worship that is expressed in religion; however, it can also simply mean to love greatly.

In general, you might find it easiest to interpret this sentence as saying that Filbert was finding it difficult to calculate the amount that he should tip; however, we do not have that as an option. The word "compute" is a fine synonym for "calculate." A "computer" gets its name from its ability to perform mathematical calculations. Put another way, we can say that a computer is able to "compute." That is what Filbert is trying to do—all the math to figure out how much he should tip.

The important thing to notice is that the building fell "inward." Therefore, its destruction definitely was not caused by an explosion—at least from what we can tell. Now, when we "internalize" something, we take it "within ourselves." Some people will "internalize" anger, getting a sore stomach instead of expressing their frustrations. This is not really a word for the destruction of a building, however. Instead, the best word is "implode." This is a kind of destruction that happens when something collapses inwardly. The "im-" prefix indicates that the direction is inward instead of outward (as in the prefix "ex-" in "explode.")

Notice in this sentence that we are told that the soldiers are going to go away somewhere else. This means that they are leaving their current fort. They are abandoning their location. A synonym for this would be "forsake," which is the best option provided here. When we "forsake" something, we leave it behind.

The idea of the sentence is that a host should show the new arrival that he or she is aware of the new person's arrival. Technically, if the host were to discuss the person, this could let the new person know that the host was aware of the arrival. This is pretty rude and is not the normal use of a discussion. Perhaps you could interrogate the new arrival—asking many questions. This too would let him or her know that you were aware of the arrival. The simple word "greet" is the best option. If you greet the new arrival, you certainly show them that you are aware of his or her presence—and you make him or her feel welcomed!

Whenever someone uses someone else, often employing unjust tactics, this person "exploits" that other person. In this sentence, the owner clearly is misusing his employees in this way. By making them work long hours without pay and also sleep on the premises, he is getting benefits from them without justly giving them what is due to them. This is an example of exploitation.

The key clue for this question is the fact that the scientist is working to remove all of the harmful substances in the fluid. This does not mean that he wants to "liquefy" it—it is already a liquid! Also, while he is minimizing the additives, this is not quite the same as saying that he is removing them. When we remove additives or other "extra" material from a substance, we purify that substance. That is what he is doing. Do not be tricked by "scrub." Scrubbing is a physical kind of cleaning that is very particular. It is not a synonym for the general act of purifying.

All that we know in this sentence is that the king wants the knight to leave the hall and go back to his other duties. We do not know how this happened or even if it was a punishment. Therefore, the best option is the simple word "dismissed," which means to send away. The "dismissal" at the end of the school day is the time when the students are "sent away home." Clearly, these words are related.

The whole point of the sentence is that the man's very long name was written in a shorter form. When we write something in a shorter form like this, we "abbreviate"it. The word "abbreviate" is related to "brief," meaning short. An abbreviation is a shortened form.

This sentence seems to indicate that the young man is putting the flower under his jacket. He wants to hide it here so that he does not get caught. When we "conceal" something, we hide it from others' vision. The options "put" and "placed" are broadly "correct." They are not the best options. The best option is the word "concealed" because it expresses the idea of trying to hide the object.

Really, all this sentence is stating is that it was necessary to keep extra food in the house. It is not talking about the actual buying of the food—that will be done elsewhere. Therefore, the simple verb "store" is the best option It means "to keep a supply of something." Actually, we call the places we go shopping "stores" because they are places that keep large supplies of items.

The key fact to note in this sentence is that the boss, in fact, likes Ferdinand and Imelda more than the other employees. The first half of the the sentence implies that she claims not to like any employee more than the others. This interpretation of the first half is supported by the fact that the second half talks about her liking Ferdinand and Imelda more than the others. Therefore, we can say that the boss says that she does not favor any employees—though, apparently she actually does!

Because the girl takes her doll everywhere with her you can reasonably conclude that the girl likes her doll very much, she loves it. The correct answer is therefore "cherishes." To "cherish" something means to love it very much. To provide further help, "rectify" means fix; "despise" means hate; "rely" means depend, need.

You are told that there is no one left in the restaurant. A place that is empty or abandoned is "deserted." To provide further help, "significant" means important and "crucial" means very important; "gigantic" means very big; "accompanied" means to have gone with.