Free Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) - Primary Level 2 Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) - Primary Level 2 practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1For this listening exercise, a helper reads the following without showing it to you: A mother sea turtle comes onto a beach. She digs a nest in the sand with her back flippers and lays her eggs there. Then she returns to the ocean. What does the turtle use to dig her nest?

   1. A.Her front flippers
   2. B.Her back flippersCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Her hard shell
   4. D.Her pointed beak

   Explanation: The passage says the turtle digs with her back flippers. NOAA states, "Using her back flippers, the reptile digs a nest in the sand." The other body parts are not the ones named in the passage.

   Reference: How do sea turtles hatch? — How do sea turtles hatch?, first paragraph

2. 2Read the passage: The Sun warms liquid water. Some of the water changes into a gas called water vapor. The vapor rises into the air. What causes the water to change into vapor?

   1. A.Cooling air high in the sky
   2. B.Warmth from the SunCorrect answer: B
   3. C.Rain falling to the ground
   4. D.Wind moving clouds

   Explanation: The passage says the Sun warms the water and that some water changes into vapor. The USGS states, "The sun causes liquid water to evaporate, or turn from a liquid to a gas (water vapor)." The other choices do not describe the cause in the passage.

   Reference: Interactive Water Cycle Diagram for Kids (Beginner) — Evaporation

3. 3Starting at 37, count forward one at a time. Which number follows 39?

   1. A.30
   2. B.40Correct answer: B
   3. C.39
   4. D.41

   Explanation: Counting forward by one from 39 gives 40. The standards state, "each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger." The other choices are not the next count.

   Reference: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics — Kindergarten Counting and Cardinality, count to tell number of objects, printed p. 11

4. 4Listen to a helper read the passage out of your sight: The Moon looks bright in the night sky, but it does not make its own light. The light we see has come from the Sun and bounced off the Moon. Where does the Moon's light come from?

   1. A.The SunCorrect answer: A
   2. B.The Earth
   3. C.Other stars
   4. D.The Moon itself

   Explanation: The passage says sunlight bounces off the Moon. NASA explains, "The Moon does not shine with its own light. It simply reflects light coming from the Sun." The other choices do not identify the source of the light in the passage.

   Reference: All About the Moon — What makes the Moon glow?

5. 5Read the passage: High in the air, water vapor cools and changes into tiny drops of liquid water. The drops form clouds. What is the passage mostly about?

   1. A.How sunshine warms the ground
   2. B.How rainwater reaches the ocean
   3. C.How clouds can form from water vaporCorrect answer: C
   4. D.How snow piles up on mountains

   Explanation: The passage describes vapor cooling and forming the tiny drops in clouds. The USGS says, "The colder temperatures high in the atmosphere cause the water vapor to turn back into tiny liquid water droplets—the clouds." The other choices describe different events.

   Reference: Interactive Water Cycle Diagram for Kids (Beginner) — Condensation

6. 6A bundle has 10 sticks. Six more sticks are loose. How many sticks are there altogether?

   1. A.60
   2. B.106
   3. C.16Correct answer: C
   4. D.6

   Explanation: The bundle is one ten, so 10 plus 6 is 16. The standards say, "The numbers from 11 to 19 are composed of a ten and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones." The other numbers misread the ten or omit it.

   Reference: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics — Grade 1 Number and Operations in Base Ten, understanding place value, printed p. 15

7. 7Have someone read the passage aloud while keeping it hidden: Earth has mountains and valleys. It also has oceans covering much of its surface. Air around Earth helps protect it. What is the passage mostly about?

   1. A.Earth's land, oceans, and airCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Earth's mountains and valleys
   3. C.Earth's oceans and their water
   4. D.Earth's air and its protection

   Explanation: The passage describes land, oceans, and air. NASA describes Earth as "a rocky, terrestrial planet" and says, "Earth is special because it is an ocean planet." It also says, "The atmosphere also protects us from incoming meteoroids". The other options each name a single detail rather than the passage's main subject.

   Reference: All About Earth — All About Earth, introductory paragraphs

8. 8Read the passage: Mars is a cold desert. People sometimes call it the Red Planet because rusty iron in its soil gives the ground a red color. What makes the ground look red?

   1. A.Rusty iron in the soilCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Red light from the Sun
   3. C.Warm water in the soil
   4. D.Red clouds over the ground

   Explanation: The passage identifies rusty iron in the soil as the cause. NASA states, "It's red because of rusty iron in the ground." The other answers name different sources of color.

   Reference: All About Mars — Introductory paragraph

9. 9In the number 47, what value does the digit 4 represent?

   1. A.4 ones
   2. B.4 tensCorrect answer: B
   3. C.7 tens
   4. D.7 ones

   Explanation: The 4 is in the tens place, so it represents 4 tens, or 40. The standards say, "the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones." The 7 represents ones, not tens.

   Reference: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics — Grade 1 Number and Operations in Base Ten, understanding place value, printed p. 15

10. 10Without showing you the passage, a helper reads it aloud: A bee lands on one flower and pollen sticks to its body. When it visits another flower, it carries some pollen there. What helps the pollen get from one flower to another?

    1. A.The bee carrying pollen between flowersCorrect answer: A
    2. B.The wind carrying pollen between flowers
    3. C.The bee carrying nectar without pollen
    4. D.The flower carrying pollen to the bee

    Explanation: The bee carries pollen when it visits another flower. The National Park Service says, "As they drink nectar or land on flowers, pollen sticks to their bodies and gets carried to the next flower they visit." The passage specifies a bee carrying pollen, rather than wind, nectar alone, or a moving flower.

    Reference: About Pollinators — About Pollinators, second paragraph