Sentence Completions - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

We know that the sheep are "gentle" and that they stayed where the shepherdess put them, so we need to pick out an answer choice that describes these qualities. While "intractable" might look like a potentially correct answer, "intractable" actually means difficult to control, the opposite of "gentle" and obedient, so it can't be the correct answer. "Meek," however, means submissive and gentle, and because it best fits the context of the sentence, "meek" is the correct answer.

The information in this sentence tells us that we are looking for an answer choice that describes someone who knows everything. The prefix "omni-" means everything and "sci" refers to knowledge, so someone who is “omniscient” or has “omniscience” knows everything. To provide further help, “omnipotent” means all-powerful; “insinuation” is an accusation; “indoctrination” is the process of manipulating someone into agreeing with an ideology; “numeration” means listing or counting.

Since Matthew and David cannot stop the water, we can assume that it is flowing from somewhere. We do not know if it is from a pipe, a leak in the foundation, or any other cause. Indeed, options like "pipe" and "spring" are rather awkward anyway. (Read the sentence aloud with those words in it.) They need to find the source, whatever that might be. The best option for "source" given is "cause." The "cause" is the source of the effect—the flooding water. They need to find this to stop the effect—that is, to stop the flooding.

When something is "elusive", it is difficult to catch or even to find. If you spend a long time looking for a "snipe" in the forest and never see it, you will likely think that it does not exist at all. Therefore, you will doubt its very existence—not merely its lack of speed or its "idiocy". (A snipe is, in fact, a real creature—a type of bird. However, many people trick friends into going "snipe hunting" by trying to do something that can't be done, such as look in the forest for a snipe where one won't find one.)

The information in the sentence suggests that the writer would want her name not to be recognized so that she could receive unbiased feedback. This is called writing under a “pseudonym” or writing under a false name. The prefix "pseudo-" means fake, false and the suffix "-nym" means related to names. To provide further help, a “synonym” is a word that has the same meaning as another word; an “antonym” is a word that has the opposite meaning of another word; a “pendulum” is something that swings back and forth, something that changes between two positions; a “bibliophile” is someone who loves books.

The information in the second clause suggests that the subject of this sentence felt a “nonchalance” towards her studies, so you need to determine which of the answer choices is a synonym for “nonchalance.” “Nonchalance” means not caring, so the correct synonym is “apathy.” To provide further help, “miserly” means not generous with money; “telepathy” is mind-reading; “altruism” and “philanthropy” are synonyms and both mean charity or charitable impulses.

The sentence implies that there were no rooms available for the day. In other words, the hotel was full and had no "vacancies,” or openings. To provide further help, “animosities” are hostilities, fighting, bad-feeling; “administrations” are groups of people tasked with managment and organization; “remonstrations” are arguments or complaints.

The information tells you that the boy was “inexperienced.” This suggests that he was a “novice.” A “novice” is someone who is a beginner, someone who has not done something before. To provide further help, an “expert” is the opposite of a “novice;” a “pacifist” is someone who avoids fighting; an “aggressor” is someone who starts a fight.

The information before the semi-colon suggests that it is common to root for less successful sports teams. In any situation in which there are two competitors, one that is heavily favored and one that is expected to lose, we can call the less favored competitor an “underdog.” To provide further help, a “champion” is a winner of some competition; an “autocrat” is a dictator; an “orator” is someone who is good at public-speaking; and a “neophyte” is a beginner.

Based on the sentence, the students are trying to get Mr. Applebaum to talk about something other than the lesson. When a person does this, it is called "going off on a tangent," meaning straying from the original line of thought.

Because Tim thinks the doctor does not know what she is doing, it suggests that Tim would think she was not a good doctor, or was a phony doctor. This leads us to the correct answer, which is “quack.” A “quack” is an imposter who claims to know what he or she is doing, but actually does not. To provide further help, a “nomad” is someone who travels without a fixed home; a “prototype” is a model intended to serve as an example; a “turncoat” is someone who changes from supporting one cause to supporting an opposing one; and “succor” means help, aid or assistance.

You are looking for an answer choice that describes a long journey, so the correct answer is “trek.” To provide further help, a “runt” is the smallest of a group; “tirade” means an angry speech; and “divide” means separate into two or a specified number of parts or groups.

We are told that biologists struggled to do something due to a lack of a uniform naming system. Here the word “uniform” means standardized or accepted by everyone. So, it makes sense that Carl Linnaeus would change the world of biology by introducing a logical naming system, or “nomenclature.”

As the play is four hours long, we can infer that after a couple of hours, the play would be half over. At the halfway point of most long plays there is a break where the audience can get up and walk around, also known as an “intermission.”

The young man in this sentence is acting like everything's fine, even when it's not. Two of the answer choices could fit with this sense of acting: "charade" and "façade." The word "charade," however, suggests a mockery or parody (as its application to the game Charades would imply). "Façade" is related to the word "face," and means to put on a false face (either as a fake front of a building or as a deceptive facial expression).

The sentence hints that the new teacher was nervous merely to give his class. It is not just questions that make him nervous; it is the very act of being in front of his students that unnerves the poor teacher. Therefore, it is best to say that every "lecture" makes him nervous. The word comes from the Latin meaning to read. Classically, a "lecturer" would read his prepared course text at each session.

The sentence gives a clue for you in referring to the water as being "crystal clear." This implies that it is lacking in anything that would cloud it, meaning that it has no "impurities." It is therefore "pure." The word "pure" means many things, but its general sense is lacking mixture. Pure gold does not have any lead (or copper, iron, or anything else) in it. The water's clarity made it appear pure. It therefore drew people to it in order that they might drink it.

The sense of the sentence means to convey that even though you cannot learn all of a topic, you can learn at least some part of it. An "aspect" is one particular "look" at something. The "-spect" part of the word is related to "spectator," and both words deal with looking at something. An "aspect" provides a particular look at a topic or thing. For instance, the American Revolution can be considered from its military aspect or its political aspect. The first focuses on the army conflicts, while the latter focuses on the various political meanings of the Revolution.

The new computer is apparently much better than the previous types of technology in a number of ways. Such an improvement is an "advance" in technology. To "advance" is to go forward. We often use this word in a physical sense: "He advanced down the hallway toward the classroom." However, it can be used in a more general way to mean any sort of improvement or "forward motion" in a metaphorical sense.

Our goals can often be called our "ideals." They are the goals that we have for accomplishing something in reality. By saying that Raymond has "high" ideals, we mean to say that he has very impressive or exalted goals. We know that we are talking about goals because the sentence then talks about him aiming to do his best no matter what. The only other potential option among those given is "visions," but that does not express the notion of having a goal as strongly as does "ideals."