ISEE Lower Level synonyms: practice questions
Synonym questions make up roughly half of the ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning section. The format could not be simpler — one capitalized word, four answer choices, pick the closest meaning — which is exactly why it’s unforgiving: there’s no sentence context to lean on. Either your child has a relationship with the word, or they’re eliminating and guessing. Below are original practice questions in the real format, then the strategies that actually help.
Practice questions
Directions (as on the test): select the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the word in capital letters.
Sample question
1. DRENCH:
AsoakBcleanCwringDfreeze
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (A) — To drench is to make thoroughly wet — soak. The trap is (C) wring, which is what you do to something after it is drenched; association is not meaning.
Sample question
2. FEEBLE:
AelderlyBweakCsmallDtired
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (B) — Feeble means lacking strength — weak. (A) elderly is an association (we often hear “feeble” describing old people), and (D) tired is a state that passes; feebleness is about strength itself.
Sample question
3. CONSENT:
AdiscussBrefuseCagreeDconsider
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (C) — To consent is to give permission — to agree. (B) refuse is the opposite (a classic ISEE distractor), and (D) consider stops short: thinking about saying yes is not saying yes.
Sample question
4. RELUCTANT:
AunwillingBunableCcarelessDshy
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (A) — Reluctant means hesitant or unwilling. (B) unable confuses not wanting to with not being able to, and (D) shy is a personality trait that sometimes causes reluctance — cause, not meaning.
Sample question
5. VACANT:
AquietBemptyCopenDclean
Show answer & explanation
Answer: (B) — Vacant means unoccupied — empty. (C) open is the tempting near-miss: a vacant seat may be “open,” but open doesn’t mean empty (an open store is full of things). Substitute the choice back into phrases like “a vacant house” and only empty survives.
How to actually get better at these
- Use the substitution test. Put each choice into a short phrase with the capitalized word’s job (“a ___ house” for VACANT). Wrong answers that merely associate with the word fall apart when substituted.
- Beware the four classic traps: the opposite, the association (wring/drench), the cause or effect (shy/reluctant), and the too-narrow word (elderly/feeble). Naming the trap out loud turns review into strategy.
- Build vocabulary in tiers, not lists. The test draws mostly from words a strong reader meets in 4th–6th grade books — not obscure SAT words. Fifteen minutes of daily reading plus a handful of new words in context beats a 500-word list.
- Never leave a blank. No wrong-answer penalty: eliminate one or two traps, then commit.
Frequently asked questions
How many synonym questions are on the ISEE Lower Level?
The Verbal Reasoning section has 34 questions in 20 minutes, split roughly evenly between synonyms and sentence completion — so expect about 17 synonym questions.
What kind of vocabulary should my child study?
Words a strong 4th–6th grade reader encounters in books — not rare college-level words. Reading daily and collecting unfamiliar words in context is more durable than memorizing long lists.
My child knows the word but still picks wrong answers. Why?
Usually a trap choice: an association, an opposite, or a cause/effect of the word rather than its meaning. Practice the substitution test — put each choice into a short phrase and keep only the one that preserves the meaning.
More ISEE guides
The ISEE Lower Level, explained for parentsISEE vs. SSAT: which test should your child take?How long does it take to prepare for the ISEE Lower Level?ISEE Lower Level Verbal Reasoning: what to expectISEE Lower Level Quantitative Reasoning: what to expectISEE Lower Level Reading Comprehension: passage types and question typesISEE Lower Level Mathematics Achievement: the topics listISEE Lower Level sentence completion: practice questionsISEE Lower Level fractions: practice questionsISEE Lower Level scores: scaled scores, percentiles, and staninesISEE Lower Level test day: what to expectWhich ISEE level does my child take? (Primary, Lower, Middle, Upper)