Sentence Completions: Parts of Speech - ISEE Middle Level Verbal Reasoning

Because the author tells you that the extra sleep helps, the correct answer must be “beneficial.” This means helpful. As for the other answer choices, "inadvisable" means not recommended, “haughty” means arrogant; "risky" means taking chances that could easily result in bad consequences; and "unavoidable" means inevitable.

Because the professor was old and his wording (his “terminology”) confused his students, you may infer that the correct answer is “antiquated,” which means old-fashioned, out-of-date, or ancient. “Eloquent” means well-spoken; “futile” means pointless; “minuscule” means very small; and “paltry” means insufficient in amount.

"Indolent" means lazy; “transitory” means fleeting and temporary; “rustic” means old-fashioned and quaint; and "offensive" means causing others to feel slighted and angry. It seems unlikely that an indolent or offensive speech would be fire people up and be well received by critics, and "rustic" and "transitory" don't really relate to speeches. The correct answer must therefore be “eloquent,” which means well-spoken.

Because the disapproval is described as "universal," the correct answer must be “unanimous”; this means agreed upon by everyone. “Wavering” and “oscillating” both mean moving from one side to the other, or inconsistent; “enamored” means in love with; and “hypnotizing” means inducing a trance or mesmerizing.

The sentence tells you that the boy did not have enough calcium; this suggests that his diet was “deficient” in calcium. “Deficient” means lacking in some way. “Defiant” means resolute and not giving in to obstacles; “aghast” means shocked; “ruthless” means not showing mercy, not stopping an attack, or very aggressive; and “restless” means full of energy and unable to rest.

From the context of the sentence, it is clear that the local store would be in support of the politician's campaign. The correct answer is “endorse,” which means to publically offer support for an individual or a cause. To further help you, "supplant" means replace; "juxtapose" means compare and contrast; "discourage" means to cause someone to lose confidence.

The context of the sentence suggests that Josh would be feeling regret about his opportunities because he missed them. The correct answer must therefore be close in meaning to regret. The correct answer is “rue,” which means to regret. To further help you, "admonish" means to criticize; "absolve" means to free from blame; "display" means show.

Due to the fact that Harry’s car has gone missing, we can assume that the blank word must describe some negative feeling like “worried” or “angered.” This eliminates "ecstatic" and "overjoyed" as answer choices because both words mean very happy. Likewise, "wanton" can be eliminated because it means random, and "whimsical" can be eliminated because it means silly and quirky. The correct answer is “perturbed,” which means worried or disturbed.

Of these five answer choices, only “devout” makes sense to describe a man about whom we are only told "pray\[s\] several times a day to his gods." “Devout” means fully committed, or more specifically, pious and having deep religious commitment. “Unorthodox” means unconventional or going against established religious doctrine; “heretical” means holding prohibited religious beliefs; and “blasphemous” and “sacrilegious” both mean profane and impious.

The context of the sentence suggests that the cunning chess player got the better of her less capable opponent. This means that the blank word must mean something like "outwitted." "Outfoxed" means outwitted, so "outfoxed" is the correct answer. To help you, "deplore" means hate, "harangue" means criticize verbally, "wounded" means injured, and "circumscribed" means limited or bordered.

From the context of the sentence, you know that the answer choice must describe how the explorers left on their journey. That rules out "encamped," "fortified," and "garrisoned," which all mean settled down in one place. "Dreaded" means feared, so it cannot be the correct answer either. The correct answer is “embarked,” which means set off or began a trip.

The fact that the army killed without discrimination and looted randomly suggests that their acts of destruction were “wanton.” The key word in the sentence in picking out the answer is "random," because this is essentially what “wanton” means. “Benevolent” means good-natured and kind; “pompous” means full of self-importance; “sage” means wise; and “defensible” means able to be defended.

Having struck an iceberg, it is logical that the ship would break and sink. The answer choice that most closely resembles that definition is “capsize,” which means to overturn or to sink and is usually used to refer to a boat or ship. To help you, "decreed" means ordered, and "renowned" means famous and well-regarded.

From the context of the sentence, you know that the blank word must mean something close to “ruin.” The correct answer is therefore “mar,” which means ruin something or take away from the greatness of something. To help you, "lull" means calm, "hoax" means deceive with a practical joke when used as a verb, "goad" means encourage, rile up, or provoke, and "assist" is a verb that means help.

The context of the sentence suggests that the runner must have slowed down as a result of running low on energy. This means that the answer choice cannot be "sprint" (run fast) or "accelerate" (speed up or go faster). Likewise it cannot be "hasten," which is a synonym of "hurry," because these two words also suggest speeding up. The correct answer is therefore “falter,” which means_begin losing strength_.

The second clause in this sentence suggests that the author is not going to talk about the man’s secrets. "Protect," "defend," "guard," and "shelter" are all synonyms and opposite in meaning to the answer we are looking for. The correct answer is “divulge,” which means reveal.

The love of English culture makes someone “Anglophile.” "Anglo_-" means English, and "-_phile" means lover of. “Philosophical” means lover of wisdom and deep thinking or having to do with figuring out large truths about the world, often by deduction; “whimsical” means quirky, silly, and unusual; “irrational” means not rational, or in other words, based on illogical beliefs; and “jovial” means cheerful and merry.

Someone who is inconsistent and always changing his or her mind is called “fickle.” “Reckless” means behaving and acting without caution or dangerous; “constant” means not changing; “persistent” means dedicated or willing to keep trying to make something work; and “sustained” means long-lasting.

Someone who is motionless could be described as “inert.” Because the old woman has not moved for several days, she could be called “inert.” “Dynamic” means the opposite of “inert”; it means full of energy and active; “literate” means able to read; “rakish” means charming, dashing, and handsome; “presumptuous” means overconfident and making arrogant assumptions.