Free Middle Level ISEE Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Middle Level ISEE practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1In ordinary conversation, which adjective most nearly means CANDID?

   1. A.guarded
   2. B.frankCorrect answer: B
   3. C.courteous
   4. D.cheerful

   Explanation: Merriam-Webster defines candid as “expressing opinions, feelings, etc. in an open, honest, and sincere way”. Frank describes open honesty. Guarded describes withholding thoughts; courteous concerns politeness; cheerful concerns mood.

   Reference: Merriam-Webster Dictionary — candid — candid, adjective definition (text line 141)

2. 2At Camp Elm, 3/4 of 60 campers chose hiking. At Camp Oak, 2/3 of 72 campers chose hiking. Which statement correctly compares the numbers who chose hiking?

   1. A.Elm has 3 more.
   2. B.Oak has 3 more.Correct answer: B
   3. C.Elm has 8 more.
   4. D.Oak has 8 more.

   Explanation: OpenStax states, “Fraction multiplication: Multiply the numerators and multiply the denominators.” Elm: (3/4)×60=45 campers. Oak: (2/3)×72=48 campers, so Oak has 48−45=3 more. Elm by 3 reverses the comparison. Elm by 8 treats the rounded percentage numbers 75 and 67 as people, giving 75−67=8; Oak by 8 reverses that mistaken comparison.

   Reference: OpenStax Prealgebra 2e — Chapter 4 Key Concepts — §4.5, Summary of Fraction Operations

3. 3Original passage: Mina arrived at the town boathouse carrying a new set of tools and a sketch of the repairs she wanted to make. The building had been closed after an inspector found that several floor supports were unsafe. Mina, who repaired bicycles after school, expected that replacing the damaged boards would be a weekend's work. At the first volunteers' meeting, however, a carpenter explained that new boards would not help if the beams beneath them remained weak. A second volunteer asked where the club's boats could be stored during construction. Mina's sketch answered neither question. She put it under her notebook. For the next two weeks, Mina helped measure the beams, record the boats, and compare prices. These jobs produced no impressive pile of finished repairs, but they gave the group a plan it could submit for approval. When someone suggested opening the building before the inspection was complete, Mina asked them to wait. “A floor that looks sound isn't necessarily a safe floor,” she said. The carpenter's reply was measured: he thanked her for raising the concern and asked her to add it to the inspection list. He neither dismissed the suggestion nor treated it as an emergency. On the final workday, he handed Mina the list and asked her to lead the team's last check. Mina still enjoyed using her tools, but she no longer judged a useful day's work only by how many things she had fixed herself. Which statement best expresses the central idea of the passage?

   1. A.Expertise makes preparation unnecessary.
   2. B.Useful work includes planning and cooperation as well as visible repairs.Correct answer: B
   3. C.Volunteers should leave all decisions to one carpenter.
   4. D.New equipment is the main requirement for safe repairs.

   Explanation: The ISEE guide states, “The Main Idea items assess the student’s ability to look for an overall message, theme, or central idea in the passage or section of the passage.” Apply this reading skill to the original passage: Mina's initial focus on solitary repairs changes through measuring, organizing and checking. Her final judgment values those shared tasks. Equipment alone does not fix weak supports; the group's questions and Mina's later concern also show that decisions are not left to one person.

   Reference: What to Expect on the ISEE — Middle Level — p.147, Appendix A — Main Idea

4. 4What is the value of the digit 8 in 4,582,130?

   1. A.800
   2. B.8,000
   3. C.80,000Correct answer: C
   4. D.800,000

   Explanation: OpenStax states, “the value of a digit depends on its position, or place, in a number.” The 8 is in the ten-thousands place, so its value is 8×10,000=80,000. The alternatives 800,8,000 and 800,000 place it in the hundreds, thousands and hundred-thousands positions instead.

   Reference: OpenStax Prealgebra 2e — Whole Number Key Terms — Chapter1, place value system

5. 5Select the closest synonym for FRUGAL as a description of spending habits.

   1. A.wealthy
   2. B.generous
   3. C.thriftyCorrect answer: C
   4. D.stingy

   Explanation: Merriam-Webster defines frugal as “characterized by or reflecting thrift and efficiency in the use of resources”. Thrifty preserves careful use of resources. Wealthy concerns possessions, generous concerns giving, and stingy adds an unwillingness to give rather than efficient use.

   Reference: Merriam-Webster Dictionary — frugal — frugal, adjective definition (text line 133)

6. 6Red and blue counters are mixed in the ratio 3:5. There are 40 counters altogether. How many more blue counters than red counters are there?

   1. A.2
   2. B.8
   3. C.10Correct answer: C
   4. D.25

   Explanation: OpenStax states, “The proportion states two ratios or rates are equal.” There are 3+5=8 ratio parts; each part is 40/8=5 counters. Blue minus red=(5−3)×5=10. The answer 2 subtracts ratio units only; 8 adds those units; 25 reports just the blue count.

   Reference: OpenStax Prealgebra 2e — Chapter 6 Key Concepts — §6.5, Proportion

7. 7Original passage: On warm afternoons, students studying a shallow pond noticed more insect larvae near its shaded bank than near its sunny bank. Several students proposed that shade attracted the larvae. Their teacher asked what else differed between the two places. The shaded bank also had thicker plants, which might provide food or shelter. To separate those possibilities, the class placed equal numbers of larvae in four identical outdoor tanks. Two tanks stood in shade and two in sunlight. One shaded tank and one sunny tank contained the same amount of pond plants; the other two contained none. Tank depth, water source, and the time of each observation were kept the same. Before beginning, the students wrote down the number of larvae they expected to find in each tank after a week. At week's end, both planted tanks contained more larvae than either unplanted tank. Within each pair, the counts differed only slightly between shade and sunlight. The students thought that plant cover might be a better account of their original observation than shade alone. Nevertheless, they did not declare that shade never mattered. A week had included several cloudy days, and four tanks offered only a small amount of evidence. The class planned to repeat the trial during another week and use additional tanks. The teacher praised this decision. The unexpected results had not spoiled the investigation; they had given the students a more precise question to ask. What is the main point of the passage?

   1. A.An unexpected result can help investigators refine a question and plan further tests.Correct answer: A
   2. B.One week's measurements prove that shade has no effect on pond life.
   3. C.Experiments are useful only when they confirm the first prediction.
   4. D.Outdoor tanks always reproduce all conditions of a natural pond.

   Explanation: The ISEE guide states, “The Main Idea items assess the student’s ability to look for an overall message, theme, or central idea in the passage or section of the passage.” Apply this reading skill to the original passage: The students test competing explanations, notice the limits of the evidence, and plan a repeat. The final paragraph makes the refined question the result's value. The passage explicitly avoids proving that shade never matters and does not claim tanks reproduce every pond condition.

   Reference: What to Expect on the ISEE — Middle Level — p.147, Appendix A — Main Idea

8. 8Which value is obtained when 487,650 is rounded to the nearest thousand?

   1. A.487,000
   2. B.488,000Correct answer: B
   3. C.490,000
   4. D.500,000

   Explanation: OpenStax states, “Determine if this digit is greater than or equal to 5. If yes—add 1 to the digit in the given place value.” The thousands digit is 7 and the next digit is 6, so increase 7 to 8 and replace the last three digits with zeros:488,000. The 487,000 answer truncates instead of rounding; 490,000 rounds to ten-thousands; 500,000 rounds to hundred-thousands.

   Reference: OpenStax Prealgebra 2e — Chapter 1 Key Concepts — Key Concepts / Round a whole number to a specific place value / third step

9. 9A person described as RELUCTANT would most nearly be described by which word?

   1. A.hesitantCorrect answer: A
   2. B.weary
   3. C.eager
   4. D.reserved

   Explanation: Merriam-Webster defines reluctant as “feeling or showing aversion, hesitation, or unwillingness”. Hesitant matches unwillingness to act. Weary means tired; eager expresses the opposite readiness; reserved describes restrained expression rather than unwillingness.

   Reference: Merriam-Webster Dictionary — reluctant — reluctant, adjective definition (text line 129)

10. 10Two automatic bells ring together at noon. One rings every 6 minutes and the other every 8 minutes. At what time will they next ring together?

    1. A.12:24 p.m.Correct answer: A
    2. B.12:14 p.m.
    3. C.12:18 p.m.
    4. D.12:48 p.m.

    Explanation: OpenStax states, “Look for the smallest number that is common to both lists.” Multiples of 6 are 6,12,18,24; multiples of 8 are 8,16,24. The first common positive interval is 24 minutes, giving 12:24. Fourteen adds the intervals; 18 is a multiple of 6 only; 48 multiplies the intervals without choosing the least common multiple.

    Reference: OpenStax Prealgebra 2e — Chapter 2 Key Concepts — §2.5, Find the LCM by listing multiples