Conjunctions and Sentence Logic in One-Blank Sentences - ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning

The writer's avoidance of jargon and technical language is contrasted with the answer choice. Look for the answer that is an antonym to "technical" or "academic." "Colloquial," meaning informal and local and referring to language, is the best answer choice.

The correct answer is "magnanimous," meaning noble or courageous. The contextual clues of the sentence imply that the reaction was positive by the words "gracious" and "despite." This makes "magnanimous" the logical choice to finish the sentence.

The key is that Jonathan is not like his brother; therefore, he is not talkative. While this might be described as “understated,” the most direct choice would be “taciturn.” This word means to be silent or reserved in speech. It is derived from the Latin tacere (and related words), which means to be silent or leave unmentioned. A related English word is “tacit.”

You are told in this sentence that the author is describing an injustice in which an innocent man was convicted whilst another man walked free. Based on this context the other man was the guilty party, or the "culprit." To provide further help, a "pugilist" is a boxer, a fighter; a "devotee" is a committed fan; "guerilla" means rebel; "fallow" means left inactive, inactive soil.

Since there is a plentitude of fish, we could say that there was a “surfeit,” which is an excessive amount of something. The prefix of the word is really an abbreviation of “super-”, which means “above.” The “-feit” portion is derived from the Latin “facere,” which means to do or make and is reflected in many English words like “fact,” “factory,” “artifact,” and so forth.

Since she is different than her brother (in this respect, at least), Gina must be happy and able in social company. Such a person is “gregarious”, a word that is derived from the Latin root “grex” (and “gregis”) for “flock.” This base has many related English words that likewise reflect this “multitude” or “flock,” such as “aggregation,” “congregation,” and “segregate.”

The implied opposition in this sentence is made between the word to be chosen as an answer and the notion of objective facts, grounded outside of Leslie’s own biases and interests. Something is said to be “subjective” when it is related only to a given person’s perspective (wants, desires, or merely his or her knowledge and frame of reference).

Although one might want to say that Daniel’s activity was commendatory or something else of the like, the best fit for the opposition in this sentence would be a word that captures the sense of being “not egoistic.” The word “altruistic” does this, for it means that one is selflessly concerned about the needs of others. Often one uses the nominal form “altruism” to describe the characteristic as well.

The correct word must be synonymous with both "belligerent" and "aggressive." Only "contentious" means wanting to fight.

The contrast here is between the types of style under discussion. In the introductory clause, we are discussing Flavia’s ability to write "verse"—poetry. The passage implies that she also had an excellent “non-poetic” style. Prose writing is non-metered writing, and this is the best contrast to “metered verse.” “Writing” is too general, “didactic” means for teaching purposes, and even “essay” does not contrast to “meter” as directly as the word “prose" does.

The correct answer is "urbane." The key word in this sentence is “despite,” indicating that the tone employed in Geoffrey’s letter was unexpected for the circumstance and quite the opposite of angry. Therefore, "urbane" (most closely synonymous with polite) is the best answer. "Equivocating" does not mean angry, but is not the best answer. "Condescending" and "boorish" are both tones that closely resemble anger and "furious" means angry, so none of these answer choices is correct either.

The correct answer is "placid." There are two hints in this sentence: the first is the word “best” indicating that the missing word will have a positive connotation (thus eliminating "noxious" and "replete"). The second key to this sentence is that the wilderness is contrasted to stress and motion, indicating that the wilderness is more calm and quiet. "Jocular" means neither "calm" nor "quiet."

The word “elude” means to escape or to avoid (in this case, the detective’s understanding). The word “although” contrasts the detective’s diligent efforts and his inability to solve the case. The only choice that makes sense is "elude." Beware of "incriminate" and "suspect," which were given to lead the test-taker astray. These words are related to the industry of detective work, but do not have the right meaning for the blank.

The correct answer is “vacillation,” which means indecision or wavering. Thus, the incumbent’s double-talk and vacillation on important issues "precipitated" (or accelerated) his defeat in the elections. Notice the conjunction “and” connects the phrase “continual double-talk” with the missing word. From this, we know that the missing word has a negative connotation. "Fortitude," perspicacity," and "perseverance" each have a positive meaning, and thus can be eliminated when solving this question.

The university's collection is now suspect because of the discovery of real documents. The way the sentence is framed indicates the correct answer is an antonym of "real." "Counterfeit," meaning fake or inauthentic, is the only antonym of real among the answer choices.

The key word in this sentence is "betrayed," which indicates that the man's demeanor was at odds with his inner fury. The correct answer will therefore have a sense of calm or quiet, the very definition of "placid."

The structure of the sentence, and the employees' surprise, indicates the new manager was not easygoing. The correct answer choice will be the one that is an antonym of "easygoing." "Abrasive," meaning harsh and coarse, is the only such answer choice.

All of the answer choices are a type of speech, but the contrast in the sentence with "motivational tools" and the adjective "nasty" leads to an answer choice with a negative tone. "Harangues," which indicates loud, aggressive attacks, fits the rest of the sentence best in context.

The structure of the sentence, with two clauses separated by the word "but," tells you that the student struggled even though he should not have. The correct answer choice will be one that effectively means to cancel out his academic progress. "Nullified," meaning neutralize or make unimportant, is the best answer choice.