Synonyms: Verbs - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

"Usurp" is a verb that means "take a position of power or importance illegally or by force." While "oversee," "approve," and "mandate" might all look like potentially correct answers because they all have to do with positions of power, only "seize" ("take hold of suddenly and forcibly" or "take forcible possession of") is close in meaning to "usurp," so "seize" is the correct answer.

"Bungle"means to carry out a task clumsily, ruining the outcome.

"Provoke" means to stimulate, give rise to, or cause something.

"Subject to" means "cause or force to undergo (a particular experience of form of treatment)." So, we need to pick out a verb that means something like "cause or force to undergo something." While someone might teach a certain subject, "teach" does not mean the same thing as "subject to," and considering how someone might "teach a subject" uses "subject" as a noun, not a verb. "Put through," however, is close in meaning to "cause or force to undergo," and because "put through" is the answer choice closest in meaning to "subject to," "put through" is the correct answer.

"Ratify" means to give legal or official approval to, so "endorse" is the best choice. "Invalidate" actually has the opposite meaning, while "prototype" means a preliminary model of an invention built before the actual invention; "goad" means encourage or prod; and "embark" means set of on a trip, usually one made by ship.

"Squander" means waste or spend unwisely, so "waste" is the correct answer. None of the other answer choices are close in meaning to "squander": "flourish" means succeed or thrive; "quell" means crush or suppress; "cease" means finish or stop; and "tamper" means interfere or disrupt.

"Drudge" means work diligently at a task, often for a prolonged period of time. "Toil" means work hard as well. Therefore, "toil" is the correct answer.

"Enhance" means improve, or make better or clearer. For example, one might write, "The powerful lens enhanced the quality of the photos." So, "improve" is the correct answer.

"Rectify" means to fix or to correct. For example, one might write, "After the mother had yelled inappropriately at her child, she apologized, hoping to rectify the sitaution." So, "correct" is the correct answer.

An "embrace" is a hug, and to "embrace" someone means to hug them. So, "hug" is the correct answer.

"Defile" means to make something dirty or to compromise its original character. Similarly, "taint" means to compromise something's purity or to adulterate something, so "taint" is the correct answer.

To "spearhead" something, like a project, means to lead it. Imagine the tip of a spear piercing its target; the rest of the spear follows the head's lead. So, "lead" is the correct answer.

To "enhance" means to make better or improve, so "improve" is the correct answer.

To "dominate" means to conquer, or to "control."

To "endure" something means to suffer through it or to "undergo" it.

"Subdue" means quiet someone down, hold someone back or restrain someone, so "restrain" is the correct answer. To help you, "distort" means twist out of shape, "hoary" means light grey or overused and stale, and "squalid" means filthy, especially as a result of having little or no money.

To "preclude" something means to stop or prevent it. "Preclude" is an antonym of "start," but quite similar in meaning to "cancel." "Stop" is the best possible answer, however.

"Transpire" means take place, so something that has "transpired" has happened. To further help you, "traverse" means travel across; "aspire" means to want to achieve something; "defer" means postpone or offer to someone else; "juxtapose" means to compare and contrast.

"Abound" means to be plentiful. For example, one might write, “In the springtime, my garden abounds with flowers.” To further help you, "nostalgic" means feeling fondness for the past.