ISEE Upper Level Vocabulary Exam
Questions & Answers.
Abate - CORRECT ANSWER Lessen (I was waiting for the medicine to abate the pain in my leg)
Avid - CORRECT ANSWER Enthusiastic (John was an avid supporter of the school soccer team)
Avail - CORRECT ANSWER Help (John tried to start his car, but to no avail)
Adverse - CORRECT ANSWER Harmful (I didn't realize the adverse effects of the drug)
Affront - CORRECT ANSWER Insult (I did not mean to affront you)
Abound - CORRECT ANSWER Overflow (For my birthday, we are going to a place where food abounds)
Ascent - CORRECT ANSWER Rise (Britney Spears began her ascent to stardom at a young age)
Affluence - CORRECT ANSWER Wealth (Many NBA players live a life of affluence)
Abominable - CORRECT ANSWER Cruel (The uprising was suppressed with abominable cruelty)
Adept - CORRECT ANSWER Skilled (He was an adept craftsman)
Aspiration - CORRECT ANSWER Desire/goal (His greatest aspiration is to win an Olympic gold medal)
Ardor - CORRECT ANSWER Passion for something (Their insults did not reduce his ardor for the
environment)
,Apathy - CORRECT ANSWER Disinterest (Students showed apathy when confronted with homework)
Abdicate - CORRECT ANSWER Give up duties (The king abdicated his throne)
Abridge - CORRECT ANSWER Shorten (My teacher had us read the abridged version of the book because
it was so long)
Abet - CORRECT ANSWER Help someone in wrongdoing (She abetted the thief in his getaway)
Affable - CORRECT ANSWER Friendly (My affable neighbor made us brownies when we moved in next
door)
Ambigous - CORRECT ANSWER Confusing (My teacher's directions for the project were ambiguous, so I
asked for clarification)
Amiable - CORRECT ANSWER Friendly (My affable neighbor made us brownies when we moved in next
door)
Bane - CORRECT ANSWER Cause of distress/Bad thing (Distraction is the bane of productivity)
Belie - CORRECT ANSWER Misleading (Their actions belie their claim to be innocent)
Belligerent - CORRECT ANSWER Agressive (The belligerent man swung his fist)
Benign - CORRECT ANSWER Harmless (Thankfully, the tumor was benign)
Bestow - CORRECT ANSWER Grant upon (I want to bestow upon you a gift)
Boisterous - CORRECT ANSWER Lively (A boisterous crowd attended the concert)
,Blatant - CORRECT ANSWER Offensive, forward (Her blatant disregard for following directions really
annoyed me)
Brevity - CORRECT ANSWER Brief (I like the brevity of this definition)
Bungle - CORRECT ANSWER Mess up (I bungled the job given to me)
Burgeon - CORRECT ANSWER Grow/blossom (Her burgeoning career made her hopeful that she would
one day own the mansion down the street)
Bolster - CORRECT ANSWER Strengthen (I want to bolster my career)
Bedevil - CORRECT ANSWER Harass (Please do not bedevil me with constant practical jokes)
Berate - CORRECT ANSWER Scold (My mother berated me for not making the bed)
Candid - CORRECT ANSWER Honest/upfront opinion (I'd like to be candid with you about the way you
treated me yesterday)
Commend - CORRECT ANSWER Praise (I'd like to commend everyone for their efforts during this
troublesome time)
Concede - CORRECT ANSWER Acknowledge/Admit (I had to concede that I had overreacted)
Contempt - CORRECT ANSWER Disrespect (He showed his contempt for his job by doing it very badly)
Contrite - CORRECT ANSWER Regretful (Being contrite will not help you escape prison)
Callous - CORRECT ANSWER Insensitive (His callous refusal to help the poor was shocking to us all)
, Capitulate - CORRECT ANSWER Surrender/give up (The country refused to capitulate)
Capricious - CORRECT ANSWER Changes frequently (I was at the mercy of a capricious manager)
Chagrin - CORRECT ANSWER Embarrassment (Jeff, much to his chagrin, wasn't invited)
Chicanery - CORRECT ANSWER Trickery (The candidate won the election through chicanery)
Complacent - CORRECT ANSWER Satisfied; not wanting to change (You should not be complacent about
security)
Copious - CORRECT ANSWER Abundant (We ate copious amounts of food at Thanksgiving)
Cordial - CORRECT ANSWER Friendly, polite (Most of the men at the gala were quite cordial and opened
the doors for the ladies)
Debilitate - CORRECT ANSWER Make weak (The debilitated patient was exhausted after a round of
chemotherapy)
Demure - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Modest in appearance (A demure, gray suit), or 2. Reserved/shy (A
demure wife who sits at home minding the house)
Dispel - CORRECT ANSWER Get rid of (The brightness of the day did nothing to dispel Elaine's bad mood)
Discrepancy - CORRECT ANSWER Difference between 2 things (I noticed a discrepancy between the cash
register and the accounting book)
Disdain (noun) - CORRECT ANSWER Disrespect + Dislike (He showed disdain towards cheaters)
Disdain - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Noun: the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's
consideration or respect (Her upper lip curled in disdain)
Questions & Answers.
Abate - CORRECT ANSWER Lessen (I was waiting for the medicine to abate the pain in my leg)
Avid - CORRECT ANSWER Enthusiastic (John was an avid supporter of the school soccer team)
Avail - CORRECT ANSWER Help (John tried to start his car, but to no avail)
Adverse - CORRECT ANSWER Harmful (I didn't realize the adverse effects of the drug)
Affront - CORRECT ANSWER Insult (I did not mean to affront you)
Abound - CORRECT ANSWER Overflow (For my birthday, we are going to a place where food abounds)
Ascent - CORRECT ANSWER Rise (Britney Spears began her ascent to stardom at a young age)
Affluence - CORRECT ANSWER Wealth (Many NBA players live a life of affluence)
Abominable - CORRECT ANSWER Cruel (The uprising was suppressed with abominable cruelty)
Adept - CORRECT ANSWER Skilled (He was an adept craftsman)
Aspiration - CORRECT ANSWER Desire/goal (His greatest aspiration is to win an Olympic gold medal)
Ardor - CORRECT ANSWER Passion for something (Their insults did not reduce his ardor for the
environment)
,Apathy - CORRECT ANSWER Disinterest (Students showed apathy when confronted with homework)
Abdicate - CORRECT ANSWER Give up duties (The king abdicated his throne)
Abridge - CORRECT ANSWER Shorten (My teacher had us read the abridged version of the book because
it was so long)
Abet - CORRECT ANSWER Help someone in wrongdoing (She abetted the thief in his getaway)
Affable - CORRECT ANSWER Friendly (My affable neighbor made us brownies when we moved in next
door)
Ambigous - CORRECT ANSWER Confusing (My teacher's directions for the project were ambiguous, so I
asked for clarification)
Amiable - CORRECT ANSWER Friendly (My affable neighbor made us brownies when we moved in next
door)
Bane - CORRECT ANSWER Cause of distress/Bad thing (Distraction is the bane of productivity)
Belie - CORRECT ANSWER Misleading (Their actions belie their claim to be innocent)
Belligerent - CORRECT ANSWER Agressive (The belligerent man swung his fist)
Benign - CORRECT ANSWER Harmless (Thankfully, the tumor was benign)
Bestow - CORRECT ANSWER Grant upon (I want to bestow upon you a gift)
Boisterous - CORRECT ANSWER Lively (A boisterous crowd attended the concert)
,Blatant - CORRECT ANSWER Offensive, forward (Her blatant disregard for following directions really
annoyed me)
Brevity - CORRECT ANSWER Brief (I like the brevity of this definition)
Bungle - CORRECT ANSWER Mess up (I bungled the job given to me)
Burgeon - CORRECT ANSWER Grow/blossom (Her burgeoning career made her hopeful that she would
one day own the mansion down the street)
Bolster - CORRECT ANSWER Strengthen (I want to bolster my career)
Bedevil - CORRECT ANSWER Harass (Please do not bedevil me with constant practical jokes)
Berate - CORRECT ANSWER Scold (My mother berated me for not making the bed)
Candid - CORRECT ANSWER Honest/upfront opinion (I'd like to be candid with you about the way you
treated me yesterday)
Commend - CORRECT ANSWER Praise (I'd like to commend everyone for their efforts during this
troublesome time)
Concede - CORRECT ANSWER Acknowledge/Admit (I had to concede that I had overreacted)
Contempt - CORRECT ANSWER Disrespect (He showed his contempt for his job by doing it very badly)
Contrite - CORRECT ANSWER Regretful (Being contrite will not help you escape prison)
Callous - CORRECT ANSWER Insensitive (His callous refusal to help the poor was shocking to us all)
, Capitulate - CORRECT ANSWER Surrender/give up (The country refused to capitulate)
Capricious - CORRECT ANSWER Changes frequently (I was at the mercy of a capricious manager)
Chagrin - CORRECT ANSWER Embarrassment (Jeff, much to his chagrin, wasn't invited)
Chicanery - CORRECT ANSWER Trickery (The candidate won the election through chicanery)
Complacent - CORRECT ANSWER Satisfied; not wanting to change (You should not be complacent about
security)
Copious - CORRECT ANSWER Abundant (We ate copious amounts of food at Thanksgiving)
Cordial - CORRECT ANSWER Friendly, polite (Most of the men at the gala were quite cordial and opened
the doors for the ladies)
Debilitate - CORRECT ANSWER Make weak (The debilitated patient was exhausted after a round of
chemotherapy)
Demure - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Modest in appearance (A demure, gray suit), or 2. Reserved/shy (A
demure wife who sits at home minding the house)
Dispel - CORRECT ANSWER Get rid of (The brightness of the day did nothing to dispel Elaine's bad mood)
Discrepancy - CORRECT ANSWER Difference between 2 things (I noticed a discrepancy between the cash
register and the accounting book)
Disdain (noun) - CORRECT ANSWER Disrespect + Dislike (He showed disdain towards cheaters)
Disdain - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Noun: the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one's
consideration or respect (Her upper lip curled in disdain)
