Sentence Completion - ISEE Upper Level Verbal Reasoning

Because the subject of this sentence gave away a lot of his food, you can infer that he must have had too much, or an abundance of food. This leads to the correct answer, which is “excess.” “Excess” means surplus or a quantity of something more than is needed. As for the other answer choices, “lack” is the opposite of “excess,” meaning the state of not having enough to meet a certain need; “fare,” when used as a noun, means the cost of traveling on some form of transportation; “climax” means culmination or peak; and “blight” means disease or infection of plants or crops.

A person who accompanies or looks after children or a group of people when they visit somewhere is called a “chaperone.” A “sentry” is a guard or someone who stands watch over a fortress; “eon” means a billion consecutive years or a very long time; a “slight” is an offense or insult; a “dilemma” is a problem.

In this sentence, it is necessary to choose the option most directly appropriate based on the information given. Although artistic pleasures might be intellectual or educated pleasures, they are most certainly “aesthetic” or “aesthetical” pleasures. Something “aesthetic” is concerned with beauty and its appreciation. The word is derived from Greek words dealing with sense perception, a root found in “anesthesia,” which is the treatment that puts a patient “out of his or her senses” before an operation.

The implication is that John has a great deal of knowledge, which covers nearly the whole of the manuscript evidence for the text. The best word matching this usage would be “extensive.” The other options are either too negative or limited in some way. For instance, his knowledge might be the sign of great learning (“erudition”), but the sentence only wishes to communicate the extent of his knowledge—best fulfilled, with little surprise, by the word “extensive.”

All that can be said about the works in question is that they copied the originals and that they fell short to some degree; however, one must be careful not to infer anything further than that; therefore, “derivative” is the best options, a word meaning that something is an imitation of another work (or works). While it does often have a negative sense, that negativity can merely imply that the derived work falls short. The word comes from roots that literally mean “down stream from something.” The "-riv-" portion is related to words like "rivulet" and "river."

Since the decision in question was to become important, it would best be called “momentous,” meaning that it would be of great influence or significance in the future. Sometimes, you will see this same sense communicated in expressions like “decision of moment.”

The key word to note here is “inflexibly,” a clue word that indicates that the word needed is not one of the potential options dealing with continuous opposition. Instead, “adamantly” best fits the situation, meaning “refusing to alter one’s opinion or position.” The word comes originally from the Greek for “invincible” (or also “diamond”). It is related to the English “adamantine,” meaning unbreakable.

Since Blaise was unyielding, it could be said that his determination was unbreakable. The word “adamantine” fits that need best. The trap answers “devoted” and “dedicated” do not capture such strong determination, as indicated by the key phrase “utterly refusing . . .” The word comes from Greek roots meaning “invincible” (or also “diamond”). It is related to the English “adamant,” meaning “refusing to alter one’s opinion or position.”

The key phrase here is “finally terminating her stream of requests,” indicating that the child was continually asking her mother for candy for breakfast. When someone incessantly does something, he or she does it continually without any interruption. The meaning can be seen in the parts of the word. The “in-” prefix is used here in the negative sense (in words like “insensitive”), while the “-cessantly” portion of the word is clearly related to the English word “cease.” Incessant actions are those that are done, literally, “without ceasing.”

The implication in this sentence is that the young man looked somewhat effeminate, though we cannot say that he looked totally like a woman. When someone is “androgynous,” he or she is said to have physical features that are both masculine and feminine. The word itself comes from roots for “man” and “woman.” The “andro-” portion is found in English words like “androgen” (male hormones) and “polyandry” (the practice of having many husbands). The “-gynous” portion of the word is found, for instance, in the title of a doctor who specializes in treating women’s health issues—a “gynocologist.”

"Indefatigable" means incapable of being tired out, or never tired.

The fact that Lewis and Clark explored the entire western United States would make them “intrepid”—adventurous or fearless.

“Resilient” indicates a quick recovery from illness or adversity.

Since Suzie wants to create delicious desserts, she needs to use judicious combinations of ingredients or combinations she makes using good sense.

If his lifestyle is not conducive to physical activities, it means that he leads a sedentary or inactive life.

The key to this sentence is noting that the ointment prevents infection and therefore it must be sterile or aseptic.

In order for someone to trace a drawing, the tracing paper needs to be transparent or diaphanous.

Since her mind was a blank slate, it means that Heather's gaze was presumably without thought or vacuous in nature.

Since fall is transitory in New England, the best answer choice is ephemeral or short in length.

The living arrangement between the two roommates is favorable and thus, they have a symbiotic living arrangement.