Challenge Yourself with These Sentence Completions on the ISEE

​Instructions

Each sentence below has one or two blanks. Each blank indicates that something is missing. Select the  word or set of words that best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

Questions

1. Due to the strong odor of onions ____________ through the kitchen, Jason suddenly found himself with tears in his eyes.

(A) submitting
(B) surpassing
(C) wafting
​(D) impeding

2. An _____________ test taker, Theo studied hard and seemed to have a knack for always selecting the correct answer.

(A) ambivalent
(B) egregious
(C) impulsive
​(D) astute

3. Unwilling to compromise his ____________, Howard quit the disreputable corporation and started his own consulting firm.

(A) representation
(B) integrity
(C) volition
​(D) motivation

4. Praised as an ______________ biographer, Ana's faithful ________________ left her readers feeling as though they knew the historic figures she wrote of.

(A) awkward ... descriptions
(B) esteemed ... countenances
(C) errant ... portrayals
(D) eloquent ... characterizations

Answers

1. C is correct.
The clue to this sentence is the phrase "the kitchen." Try thinking of a word on your own. The correct answer is wafting, meaning "to send floating through the air or over water."

2. D is correct.
Astute (meaning "having or showing shrewdness or discernment") is the best word of the choices to describe someone who studies hard and seems to have a knack for doing well on tests.

3. B is correct.
"Disreputable" is a key word in this sentence, and you should look for a word that does not fit well with it. Integrity means "a strict adherence to a moral or ethical code," And because Howard felt his integrity was being compromised by working for a disreputable corporation, he decided to quit.

4. D is correct.
Since it is unlikely that an awkward or errant biographer would be praised, you can eliminate choices A and C. Countenance means "appearance, especially the expression of the face," and does not fit the context of the sentence. Choice D is correct.