Parts of Speech in Word-Based Sentence Completions - ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning

In this sentence, Mary is trying to make me believe her. The best word that fits into the blank is "insisted." "Insist" means use emphasis to try to make someone believe that you are telling the truth or do as you request. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank: "lingered" means took one's time; "perished" means died; "restrained" means held back; and "unveiled" means to made visible, often for the first time and to the public.

We need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "create" or "produce" because the sentence tells us that the mitochondria serve as power suppliers for cells. So, "generate," a verb that means produce, is the correct answer choice because it best fits the sentence's context. None of the other answer choices would make sense in the blank space: "destroy" means annihilate or demolish; "change" means become different; and "train" means instruct someone in a particular skill.

In the English language, the prefix "co_-_" suggests working together. Because of the way the sentence is framed, “combat” is the only possible answer. To “combat” means to battle against something else. None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: “deduct” means figure out; “denude” means uncover or lay bare; “allude” means hint at or suggest; and “abdicate” means give up the throne.

The context of the sentence tells us that the doctors worked tirelessly to bring the man back to consciousness, and this is the meaning of the word “revive.” In English, the root "viv" means life or living as in “revive,” “survive,” “vitality,” and “vitamins." None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: when used as a verb, “convict” means successfully bring criminal charges against in court,and when used as a noun, a "convict" is a criminal; “expose” means reveal; to “conjecture” is to guess; and “supplant” means replace.

Based on the context of the sentence and its references to bullying based on people being different, we can assume that the blank word must mean something like "not include." The correct answer is therefore “exclude,” which means not include. To provide further help, “exalt” means praise or celebrate, and “portray” and “depict” both mean show.

Because the student didn't do well on his first test but wants to try again, you could also say he wants to “redo” his test. The prefix "re-" is often used to refer to something done again. To provide further help, “unfurl” means unfold, roll out; “adorn” means decorate; a “ruse” is a scheme designed to trick someone; “comprehend” means understand.

Since the subject did not want to sell his house, we can infer that he did not accept the offer to move to a new city. The correct answer is therefore “declined.” To provide further help, “deplored” means hate; “enamored” means in love with; “accepted” means established, allowed; “received” means given.

The author of this sentence tells us that his car wouldn't start because a problem with the ignition. The best answer choice is “malfunctioning,” which means not working properly or functioning poorly. The prefix "mal-" means bad or wrong. To provide additional help, “interposing” means getting involved in; “abrasive” means rude; “suggesting” means hinting; “benign” means not harmful.

The author suggests that people abusing their pets makes him very angry. This suggests that the answer is a synonym for "abuse," so the best answer choice is "mistreat," which means treat poorly. The prefix "mis-" is a negation prefix. To provide further help, “protect” and “defend” are synonyms and both mean look after, stop harm from coming to; “deny” is to say something is not true.

A “psychic” is a person who makes predictions. “Predicting” something is to say that something will happen in the future. To provide further help, “antiquated” means old and out of date; “elected” means chosen or selected; “beleaguered” means under pressure; “characterized” means defined as.

The word “despite” means even though, in spite of and the word “commendable” means praiseworthy. The guide was unable to communicate through language but was still able to direct the author in the right direction. The guide would have accomplished this by showing or “indicating” which way the author needed to go. To provide further help, “edifying” means teaching or building up; “loosening” means making loose; “lauding” means praising.

If the sled was hard to steer, it makes sense that Tim might nearly hit or crash into a tree, so you need to pick out an answer choice that means something like "hit." "Collided" is a verb that means impacted while moving, so "collided" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices make sense in the blank: "veered" means turned sharply while moving, and while one might talk about someone on a sled "veering away" from a tree, one would not "veer with" a tree. "Crashed" may look like a good answer, but one does not "crash with" a thing; one "crashes into" a thing. Neither "jumped" (hopped or leapt off of the ground) nor "slid" (glided or skated) make sense in the sentence's blank either.

We can infer that because the sentence is specifically discussing reptiles that "liv\[e\] in the deserts of the southwest United States," that the "heat" in that environment is extreme. So, we need to pick out an adjective to describe the intense heat one experiences in the desert. "Brisk" may look like a potentially correct answer because it can be used to describe weather, but "brisk" actually means "cold but fresh and enlivening" when it is used to describe the weather or wind. So, "brisk" cannot be the correct answer because we need a word to describe the desert's intense heat. "Sweltering," however, is an adjective that means "uncomfortably hot," and because "sweltering" is the answer choice that best describes the intense heat one experiences in the deserts in the southwest United States," "sweltering" is the correct answer."

We can infer that because Jim's new laptop had problems with its power and the technicians at the store exchanged its battery "for a new one that worked correctly," we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "not working properly" to describe the battery the laptop had initially. "Operational," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "operational" is an adjective that means "fit or ready for use or service," which does not accurately describe the battery Jim's laptop initially had that did not work correctly. "Faulty," however, is an adjective that can mean "working badly or unreliably because of imperfections," and because "faulty" best describes how the battery in Jim's new laptop did not work correctly, "faulty" is the correct answer.

We can infer that the explorers figured out that their leader was dishonest and could not be relied upon after they learned of his plans to strand them on the island and steal the treasure for himself. So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like "dishonest" or "unreliable" to describe the explorers' leader. "Virtuous," then, cannot be the correct answer, because "virtuous" means "having or showing high moral standards," which wouldn't be a very apt description of the leader, who intended to strand his fellow explorers and steal the treasure for himself. "Untrustworthy," however, is an adjective that means "not able to be relied on as honest or truthful," and because "untrustworthy" best describes how the explorers considered their leader after learning of his plans, "untrustworthy" is the correct answer.

We can infer that the teacher did not believe Darlene’s story until Darlene produced evidence that it was true, so we need to pick out an adjective for the blank that means something like “not believable.” “Believable” cannot be the correct answer because if the teacher considered Darlene’s story believable, Darlene would not have had to produce evidence that her story was true to convince the teacher her story was true. “Unbelievable,” however, is an adjective that consists of the negative prefix “un-“, which means “not,” and “believable,” so we can infer that it means “not believable.” This is a correct inference, as “unbelievable” means “unlikely to be true.” “Unbelievable” is the answer choice that best fits the sentence’s context, so “unbelievable” is the correct answer.

The sentence says that the cat “had no collar,” so we need to pick out an adjective that could describe a cat with no collar. While “tame” and “feral” might each look like a potentially correct answer choice, “tame” is an adjective that means “domesticated” when referring to an animal. So, it would not make sense in the sentence, because one could assume that the cat is domesticated if it had a collar, but it does not. “Feral,” however, is an adjective that is used especially of an animal and means “wild.” Because “feral” best described the collarless cat that the sentence discusses, “feral” is the correct answer.

We can infer that Tom considered it lucky “that it did not rain when he had to ride his bicycle home from school” even though the weather forecast predicted rain. So, we need to pick out an adjective that means something like “lucky.” That means that “unlucky” cannot be the correct answer, because it would not make sense in the blank—it would not make sense for Tom to consider it unlucky that he did not have to bike home in the rain. “Fortunate,” however, is an adjective that can mean “lucky,” and because “fortunate” best fits the context of the sentence, “fortunate” is the correct answer.

We can infer from the sentence that we need to pick out an adjective that can describe organisms that have “all” been “killed off.” While both “extinct” and “extant” might look like potentially correct answers because they look and sound similar, “extant” is an adjective that is used especially to describe a document and means still in existence. This is clearly an antonym of the word we’re looking for, so “extant” cannot be the correct answer. “Extinct,” however, is an adjective that can mean no longer in existence; so, because “extinct” best describes the dinosaurs after they were all killed off by something, “extinct” is the correct answer.

We can infer that the employee being discussed in the sentence was quite persistent, because he “called seven times demanding a meeting with the president.” So, we need to pick out an adjective to describe the employee that means something like “persistent.” That means that “timid” cannot be the correct answer, because “timid” would not accurately describe someone who called the assistant seven times demanding a meeting. “Insistent,” however, is an adjective that means “insisting; not allowing refusal,” and because “insistent” best describes the persistent employee, “insistent” is the correct answer.