ISEE practice, Grade 9

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Scholar Tests · Set 3

ISEE practice test, Grade 9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Verbal Reasoning

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 5 minutes.

  1. 1.

    INTREPID

    Which word means most nearly the same as the word in capital letters?

    1. Athirsty
    2. Bfearless
    3. Ctimid
    4. Dclumsy
  2. 2.

    His apology seemed ______, since he repeated the same insult the very next day.

    Which word best completes the sentence?

    1. Aheartfelt
    2. Bgenuine
    3. Clengthy
    4. Dinsincere
  3. 3.

    INSOLENT

    Which word means most nearly the same as the word in capital letters?

    1. Arude
    2. Blazy
    3. Ccurious
    4. Dwealthy
  4. 4.

    Though the committee's report was long, its conclusion was ______: the bridge had to close.

    Which word best completes the sentence?

    1. Aunambiguous
    2. Bhesitant
    3. Ctentative
    4. Dpuzzling
  5. 5.

    The witness's account was ______ with the security video in every detail, so the jury believed her.

    Which word best completes the sentence?

    1. Ainconsistent
    2. Bcompeting
    3. Ccontrasting
    4. Dconsistent
  6. 6.

    PROSAIC

    Which word means most nearly the same as the word in capital letters?

    1. Aprofessional
    2. Bordinary
    3. Cimaginative
    4. Dtimid
  7. 7.

    Although the first chapters are ______, the novel becomes ______ once the mystery begins.

    Which pair of words best completes the sentence?

    1. Athrilling . . . gripping
    2. Bslow . . . gripping
    3. Cbrief . . . shorter
    4. Dthrilling . . . dull
  8. 8.

    PLACATE

    Which word means most nearly the same as the word in capital letters?

    1. Aborrow
    2. Bdecorate
    3. Csoothe
    4. Dprovoke
  9. 9.

    Her ______ in the face of danger was ______, given that she had never trained for an emergency.

    Which pair of words best completes the sentence?

    1. Apanic . . . remarkable
    2. Bcalm . . . expected
    3. Cpanic . . . ordinary
    4. Dcalm . . . remarkable
  10. 10.

    TENACIOUS

    Which word means most nearly the same as the word in capital letters?

    1. Agenerous
    2. Bpersistent
    3. Cfragile
    4. Dwavering

Quantitative Reasoning

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 9 minutes.

  1. 1.

    Three classes took the same quiz. In Class A, the lowest score was 72 and the range was 8; in Class B, the lowest score was 46 and the range was 39; and in Class C, the lowest score was 74 and the range was 13. What is the range of the scores of all the classes together?

    1. A87
    2. B41
    3. C39
    4. D60
  2. 2.

    A bag of rice is labeled 95 pounds. The actual weight of a bag may be up to 5% more or up to 5% less than the label says. What is the least possible actual weight of a bag, in pounds?

    1. A4.75
    2. B90
    3. C99.75
    4. D90.25
  3. 3.

    The letters of the word FROST repeat in this order: F, R, O, S, T, F, R, O, S, T, and so on. What is the 158th letter?

    1. AT
    2. BS
    3. CO
    4. DR
  4. 4.

    Column A: 34
    Column B: 43

    Compare the quantity in Column A with the quantity in Column B.

    1. AColumn A is greater.
    2. BColumn B is greater.
    3. CThe two quantities are equal.
    4. DIt cannot be decided from the information given.
  5. 5.

    Zara is now 6 times as old as Lucas. In 15 years Zara will be 3 times as old as Lucas. How old is Zara now?

    1. A30
    2. B75
    3. C10
    4. D60
  6. 6.

    A right triangle has legs of length 3 and 4.
    Column A: The length of the hypotenuse
    Column B: 4

    Compare the quantity in Column A with the quantity in Column B.

    1. AColumn A is greater.
    2. BColumn B is greater.
    3. CThe two quantities are equal.
    4. DIt cannot be decided from the information given.
  7. 7.

    A bag holds 6 red marbles and 9 blue marbles. How many red marbles must be added to the bag so that the probability of picking a red marble at random is 3/4?

    1. A21
    2. B20
    3. C5
    4. D27
  8. 8.

    A group of 136 people is made up of boys, girls and teachers. There are 19 more girls than boys. There are 14 more teachers than girls. How many more teachers than boys are there?

    1. A14
    2. B28
    3. C33
    4. D89
  9. 9.

    x ≠ 0
    Column A: x2
    Column B: x3

    Compare the quantity in Column A with the quantity in Column B.

    1. AColumn A is greater.
    2. BColumn B is greater.
    3. CThe two quantities are equal.
    4. DIt cannot be decided from the information given.
  10. 10.

    Column A: |1 − 10|
    Column B: |1| − |10|

    Compare the quantity in Column A with the quantity in Column B.

    1. AColumn A is greater.
    2. BColumn B is greater.
    3. CThe two quantities are equal.
    4. DIt cannot be decided from the information given.

Reading Comprehension

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 10 minutes.

  1. The Dome No One Knew How to Build

    For years, the great cathedral of Florence stood with a gaping opening where its dome was meant to be. Construction of Santa Maria del Fiore had begun in 1296, and the city had approved a design crowned by an immense dome rising from an eight-sided base. The trouble was that no one knew how to build it. The opening to be covered was roughly 140 feet across, a span no European builder had attempted since ancient Rome, and it sat high above the ground on walls raised before anyone had solved the problem.

    The usual way to build an arch or dome was to erect a temporary wooden framework, called centering, to hold the masonry in place until the mortar set and the structure could support itself. For a span this wide, the framework would have required an impractical amount of timber, and it might have sagged or collapsed under its own weight. In 1418, the officials in charge of the cathedral announced a competition for a solution.

    The winner was Filippo Brunelleschi, a goldsmith by training who had spent years studying the ruins of ancient Rome. His proposal was audacious: he would raise the dome without traditional centering at all. Many observers considered the plan reckless, and the commissioners, unwilling to trust him entirely, at first appointed his old rival Lorenzo Ghiberti to share the post.

    Brunelleschi's solution depended on several ideas working together. The dome was built as two shells, a heavy inner one and a lighter outer one, joined by ribs, which reduced the total weight while keeping the structure stiff. In many sections the bricks were laid in a herringbone pattern, with some set on end among the horizontal courses, so that each new ring of masonry locked into the one below and could hold itself up as it curved inward. Rings of stone and wood, joined with iron, were built into the structure to resist the outward spreading force that threatens every dome.

    Just as inventive were his machines. To lift millions of pounds of brick and stone to workers high above the cathedral floor, Brunelleschi designed a hoist powered by oxen walking in a circle, with gearing that could raise or lower a load without the animals having to turn around. Engineers studied and sketched his devices for generations.

    The dome was completed in 1436, and the marble lantern on its summit was finished after Brunelleschi's death in 1446. Nearly six centuries later it is still the largest brick dome ever built, and its red tiles still dominate the skyline of Florence. Beyond its engineering, it announced a new kind of confidence: the conviction that a problem the ancients had left no instructions for could be solved through careful study and bold invention.

    1.

    Which best states the main idea of the passage?

    1. ABrunelleschi defeated Ghiberti by proposing a cheaper copy of a dome he had seen among the ruins of Rome.
    2. BBrunelleschi solved the problem of Florence Cathedral's dome through a combination of structural and mechanical inventions.
    3. CThe cathedral's dome collapsed several times during construction before Brunelleschi finally rebuilt it.
    4. DBrunelleschi learned the craft of goldsmithing by studying the ancient ruins of Rome for many years.
  2. 2.

    According to the passage, what was the purpose of the herringbone pattern?

    1. AIt let each new ring of brick lock into the one below so it could support itself.
    2. BIt made the outer shell of the dome lighter than the inner shell.
    3. CIt allowed oxen to raise and lower loads without turning around.
    4. DIt decorated the dome so that it could be seen across the city.
  3. 3.

    The passage suggests that the commissioners appointed Ghiberti to share the post because they

    1. Ahad decided to use traditional wooden centering after all
    2. Bexpected Brunelleschi to leave Florence before work began
    3. Cwere not yet confident that Brunelleschi's daring plan would succeed
    4. Dwanted to reward Ghiberti for having built the cathedral's walls
  4. 4.

    As it is used in the passage, the word "courses" most nearly means

    1. Aclasses taken at a school
    2. Blayers of bricks
    3. Ctracks used for racing
    4. Droutes followed by ships
  5. 5.

    Why does the author explain the usual method of building with centering?

    1. ATo show why the standard approach could not work for a dome of this size
    2. BTo describe the method that Brunelleschi finally chose to use
    3. CTo argue that wooden frameworks are stronger than brick or stone
    4. DTo explain why work on the cathedral began as early as 1296
  6. 6.

    What role does the final paragraph play in the passage?

    1. AIt compares the Florence dome point by point with domes in ancient Rome.
    2. BIt describes how the marble lantern was built in careful technical detail.
    3. CIt introduces a criticism of Brunelleschi's methods made by later engineers.
    4. DIt gives the dome's completion and lasting fame, then links it to a broader change in outlook.

  7. Ice-Out

    All winter the lake kept its one opinion, a white sentence stretched from shore to shore that no one bothered to argue with. We walked on it. We drilled small doubts in it and fished them for perch, and it held. My brother and I had a winter like that: a single hard surface over everything, words we stepped around, a door we closed so gently it was almost polite. Then March, and the lake began to talk. At night it groaned like a ship's old timber; by day long seams of pewter opened and the wind leaned on them until they gave. Nobody announced it. One morning the open water was simply there, dark and moving, full of the sky, and a pair of ducks floated where we had stood. He called that afternoon about nothing, the weather, a game, a borrowed jacket. I listened to the thaw in his voice and said nothing important back, which was, I think, the important thing.

    7.

    Which choice best describes the central idea of the poem?

    1. AThe speaker regrets spending a winter fishing instead of talking with a brother.
    2. BA family argues about whether it is safe to walk out on a frozen lake.
    3. CThe breakup of the lake's ice mirrors a quiet easing of tension between the speaker and a brother.
    4. DThe speaker warns readers about the dangers of thin ice in early spring.
  8. 8.

    According to the poem, what appears on the open water once the ice is gone?

    1. AA borrowed jacket
    2. BA school of perch
    3. CA ship's old timber
    4. DA pair of ducks
  9. 9.

    The line "I listened to the thaw in his voice" suggests that the brother

    1. Ahad caught a cold while standing out on the lake
    2. Bsounded warmer and less guarded than he had during the winter
    3. Cwas angry that the speaker had not called first
    4. Dwas calling to warn the speaker about the melting ice
  10. 10.

    As it is used in the poem, the word "gave" most nearly means

    1. Aproduced a result
    2. Boffered freely
    3. Cbroke apart
    4. Dhanded over

Mathematics Achievement

Circle the letter of the best answer. About 9 minutes.

  1. 1.

    Which of these is the same as 3(5p + 7q)?

    1. A15p + 21q
    2. B36pq
    3. C15p + 7q
    4. D15p − 21q
  2. 2.

    The table shows the total cost c, in dollars, after m months. It is a linear function. What is the initial value, the value of c when m = 0?

    1. A46
    2. B15
    3. C61
    4. D31
  3. 3.

    In a survey, 5 students have 0 pets, 2 students have 1 pet, 4 students have 2 pets, 5 students have 3 pets, and 4 students have 4 pets. What is the median number of pets for these students?

    1. A0
    2. B2.05
    3. C10.5
    4. D2
  4. 4.

    A container shaped like a cylinder, with a radius of 5 inches, holds water 49 inches deep. All of the water is poured into an empty cylinder with a radius of 7 inches. How deep is the water in the second cylinder, in inches?

    1. A96.04
    2. B35
    3. C25
    4. D49
  5. 5.

    Cards numbered 1 to 24, one number on each card, are placed in a box. The cards numbered 1, 2, 12, and 24 are taken out. Then one card is picked at random from the cards still in the box. What is the probability that the number on it is an even number?

    1. A3/8
    2. B3/5
    3. C1/2
    4. D9/20
  6. 6.

    Which point on the number line is closest to √42?

    1. APoint A
    2. BPoint B
    3. CPoint C
    4. DPoint D
  7. 7.

    In triangle ABC, angle A measures 67° and angle B measures 58°. Side BC is extended to point D. What is the measure of the exterior angle marked with a question mark?

    1. A113°
    2. B55°
    3. C125°
    4. D122°
  8. 8.

    The perimeter of a square is 3 times the perimeter of a regular hexagon. What is the ratio of the length of one side of the square to the length of one side of the regular hexagon?

    1. A9:2
    2. B2:9
    3. C3:2
    4. D3:1
  9. 9.

    When 5/14 is written as a decimal, what is the 27th digit after the decimal point?

    1. A1
    2. B7
    3. C5
    4. D4
  10. 10.

    Large pizzas cost $16 each and small pizzas cost $6 each. A group bought 12 pizzas in all for $142. How many large pizzas did the group buy?

    1. A7
    2. B6
    3. C5
    4. D8

Written by Scholar Tests in the style of the published ISEE question types. Not a real ISEE test, and a practice score is not a real score.