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ICFES Saber 5° study materials
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ICFES Saber 5° practice questions

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Question 1Lectura

Read: «En Manizales, Sofía encontró un libro bajo el pupitre. Lo llevó a la biblioteca y se lo entregó a don Andrés, el bibliotecario.» Who received the book at the end?

  1. La profesora de matemáticas
  2. Don Andrés Correct answer.
  3. El rector del colegio
  4. Un compañero de quinto

Explanation

The last sentence states that Sofía handed the book to don Andrés, the librarian. Grade-5 Lectura still places about half of its items on recovering explicit who/what information from a short continuous text.

Question 2Lectura

A school sign says: «AVISO: Mañana no hay clase de educación física. Traigan el cuaderno de matemáticas.» What should students bring?

  1. El balón de fútbol
  2. La ruana de educación física
  3. El cuaderno de matemáticas Correct answer.
  4. El uniforme de gala

Explanation

The aviso names the cuaderno de matemáticas as what students must bring. Locating an explicit instruction on a discontinuous notice is a typical literal-recovery task at grade 5.

Question 3Lectura

Read this price table from a recreo stall: «Producto | Precio - Arepas | COP 2,000 - Jugo de lulo | COP 1,500 - Empanada | COP 1,800.» What is the listed price of jugo de lulo?

  1. COP 2,000
  2. COP 1,800
  3. COP 3,500
  4. COP 1,500 Correct answer.

Explanation

The table pairs jugo de lulo with COP 1,500. Reading a small two-column table is still literal recovery: the number is printed next to the product name.

Question 4Lectura

Read: «El bus escolar sale a las 6:30 de la mañana desde el parque principal de Zipaquirá.» When does the bus leave?

  1. A las 12:00 del mediodía
  2. A las 6:30 de la mañana Correct answer.
  3. A las 4:00 de la tarde
  4. A las 9:00 de la noche

Explanation

The sentence states 6:30 in the morning as the departure time. Recovering when something happens is a core literal-content element in the ICFES lenguaje marco.

Question 5Lectura

Read: «Primero Laura riega las plantas del huerto. Después recoge los lápices. Al final cierra la ventana del salón.» What does Laura do last?

  1. Riega las plantas
  2. Recoge los lápices
  3. Cierra la ventana Correct answer.
  4. Sale al recreo

Explanation

Al final marks the last action: she closes the classroom window. Relating time connectors across three short sentences is a grade-5 'parts of the text' skill, not only word spotting.

Question 6Lectura

A sign on the comedor floor says: «CUIDADO: Piso mojado.» What is the main purpose of this aviso?

  1. To sell lunch at a discount
  2. To warn people that the floor is wet Correct answer.
  3. To announce a mathematics contest
  4. To close the school for the year

Explanation

CUIDADO plus piso mojado warns readers about a slip hazard. Identifying the communicative purpose of a short sign is evaluating content, which makes up part of the remaining Lectura items after literal recovery at grade 5.

Question 7Lectura

Read: «En el mercado de Paloquemao, el abuelo de Tomás compra plátanos, cilantro y una panela. Tomás carga la bolsa. Antes de irse, el abuelo pregunta el precio del lulo, pero no lo compra.» What does the grandfather buy?

  1. Solo lulo
  2. Plátanos, cilantro y panela Correct answer.
  3. Solo café tostado
  4. Una ruana y un sombrero

Explanation

The first sentence lists plátanos, cilantro, and panela as purchases. The later sentence says he asks about lulo but does not buy it, so the bought items are the first three foods.

Question 8Lectura

Read this enrollment table: «Grado | Estudiantes - 3° | 28 - 4° | 31 - 5° | 27.» How many students are listed for 5°?

  1. 28
  2. 31
  3. 27 Correct answer.
  4. 86

Explanation

The row for 5° shows 27 students. Grade-5 Lectura includes discontinuous tables; the task is to match the correct row rather than add all grades unless asked.

Question 9Lectura

Read: «Como el río Cauca creció durante la noche, la escuela de la vereda canceló la salida al puente.» Why was the outing cancelled?

  1. Because the teacher forgot the date
  2. Because the river rose Correct answer.
  3. Because the students wanted more homework
  4. Because the bridge was being painted gold

Explanation

Como introduces the cause: the Cauca River rose, so the school cancelled the trip to the bridge. Linking cause and result across one sentence is relating parts of the text.

Question 10Lectura

Read: «Mariana quería jugar fútbol en el patio. Sin embargo, empezó a llover y se quedó leyendo en el salón.» What does «sin embargo» signal here?

  1. That rain helped her play better
  2. A contrast between her plan and what actually happened Correct answer.
  3. That she scored three goals
  4. That the patio was dry all afternoon

Explanation

Sin embargo marks a contrast: she wanted to play soccer, but rain kept her reading indoors. Connecting a connector to the change of plan is relating local parts of a short narrative.

Question 11Lectura

The text says: «Hoy el restaurante escolar sirve sopa de verduras y arroz.» A classmate claims this proves the school serves pizza every day this month. Is that claim supported by the text?

  1. Yes; the text lists pizza for thirty days
  2. Yes; sopa always means pizza
  3. No; the text only names today's soup and rice Correct answer.
  4. Yes; arroz is another word for pizza

Explanation

The sentence supports only today's vegetable soup and rice. Checking whether a classmate's claim goes beyond the wording is evaluating content, a process ICFES includes after literal recovery at grade 5.

Question 12Lectura

A notice says only: «Excursión al Jardín Botánico. Llevar tapabocas.» For a complete school aviso, what important information is still missing?

  1. The score of Saturday's fútbol game
  2. The meeting day, time, and place Correct answer.
  3. A recipe for ajiaco
  4. The color of the school walls

Explanation

Families cannot plan an outing without when and where to meet. Evaluating whether a notice is complete enough for its purpose is content evaluation, not a civics essay.

Question 13Lectura

Read: «-¿Dónde está mi ruana? -preguntó Camilo. -La dejaste en el patio junto a la portería -respondió Isabel.» According to Isabel, where is the ruana?

  1. En la cafetería del pueblo
  2. En el patio junto a la portería Correct answer.
  3. En el techo del gimnasio
  4. En el río Magdalena

Explanation

Isabel's reply locates the ruana in the patio next to the school gate. Distinguishing speakers in a dialogal sequence and recovering the place they name is still anchored in literal content.

Question 14Lectura

Read: «En Bocagrande, Valentina temía el mar. Su tía la llevó cada sábado. Al principio Valentina apenas mojaba los pies. Luego aprendió a flotar. Al final nadó hasta la boya y sonrió.» What is the main idea of this paragraph?

  1. Valentina opens a fish restaurant
  2. Valentina gradually learns to swim with her aunt's help Correct answer.
  3. The aunt sells ruanas on the beach
  4. Bocagrande closes the sea for the year

Explanation

The sequence from fear to floating to reaching the buoy shows a learning process supported by the aunt. Relating local steps to a global sense of the paragraph is a grade-5 relating-parts task.

Question 15Lectura

Read: «En el salón de quinto, los estudiantes lavan botellas plásticas, las secan y las llevan al contenedor azul. El personero recuerda que el vidrio va en otro recipiente.» Which title best matches the text?

  1. Cómo se gana un partido de fútbol
  2. Reciclar bien en el salón de quinto Correct answer.
  3. La receta de la panela
  4. Un viaje en avión a Europa

Explanation

The paragraph is about sorting bottles and remembering that glass goes elsewhere. A fitting title must cover that recycling focus without adding topics the text never treats.

Question 16Lectura

Read: «Las ventanas están abiertas. Hay olor a café recién hecho. Se oyen buses en la carrera. Don Pedro acomoda sillas en la acera.» Where is this scene most likely set?

  1. En una biblioteca silenciosa sin ventanas
  2. En una cafetería o tienda sobre la calle Correct answer.
  3. En la cima de un páramo sin caminos
  4. En un submarino cerrado

Explanation

Open windows, coffee smell, street buses, and chairs on the sidewalk together point to a street-level café or shop. The word cafetería is not required; students relate descriptive clues to a plausible setting.

Question 17Lectura

A paragraph says: «La feria del libro del colegio abre a las 9:00.» The accompanying table says: «Actividad | Hora - Apertura | 8:00 - Cuentacuentos | 9:30 - Cierre | 12:00.» If a family wants to arrive for the listed apertura, which time should they use, and why?

  1. 9:00, because a paragraph always overrides a table
  2. 8:00, because the table lists apertura at that hour Correct answer.
  3. 12:00, because that is when the fair starts
  4. 9:30, because cuentacuentos is the same as apertura

Explanation

The question asks for the listed apertura, which the table places at 8:00. Relating two sources and noticing that the paragraph's 9:00 does not match the table is a harder grade-5 relating-parts item; students must use the source named in the question.

Question 18Lectura

Read: «El páramo de Sumapaz es un ecosistema de alta montaña. Es el lugar más bonito del mundo. Allí nace agua que llega a Bogotá.» Which sentence expresses an opinion rather than a checkable fact in the text?

  1. El páramo de Sumapaz es un ecosistema de alta montaña
  2. Es el lugar más bonito del mundo Correct answer.
  3. Allí nace agua que llega a Bogotá
  4. The whole paragraph is only a shopping list

Explanation

Calling a place the most beautiful in the world is a value judgment. The other two sentences present geographic claims that can be checked; evaluating what is opinion versus what is presented as fact is content evaluation at grade 5.

Question 19Lectura

Read: «Yo no quería prestar mis colores, pero Julián me los pidió con amabilidad. Al final compartí y terminamos el mural juntos.» What change does the first-person narrator describe?

  1. From painting the mural alone to throwing it away
  2. From refusing to share to sharing after a kind request Correct answer.
  3. From being the teacher to being the rector
  4. From selling colors in a tienda to closing the shop

Explanation

Yo first does not want to lend the colors, then shares after Julián asks kindly, and they finish the mural together. Tracking the narrator's change of attitude across sentences is a harder relating-parts item while remaining a primary-school narrative, not Saber 11 criticism.

Question 20Lectura

A flyer on the classroom door says: «TODOS los niños de Colombia deben comprar este jugo milagroso o reprobarán matemáticas. Firma: un vendedor.» What is the strongest problem if a student treats this flyer as a trustworthy school aviso?

  1. It is written in Spanish, so it cannot be a notice
  2. It uses a threat and a miracle claim that the school text never supports Correct answer.
  3. It is too short to be an advertisement
  4. It correctly proves that juice replaces studying

Explanation

The flyer threatens failure and promises a miracle drink, signed by a seller, not by the school. Evaluating whether a text's claims and purpose are reliable is the evaluating-content process; grade-5 students should notice unsupported threats rather than obey them as official rules.

Question 21Matemáticas

A fruit stall in Cali packs 6 bags of lulo. Each bag holds 8 lulos. How many lulos are packed in all?

  1. 14
  2. 48 Correct answer.
  3. 32
  4. 56

Explanation

6 groups of 8 is 6 × 8 = 48. Grade-5 numerical items expect this multiplication rather than adding 6 and 8.

Question 22Matemáticas

Mateo has COP 2,000. His abuela gives him COP 1,500 more for merienda. How much money does he have now?

  1. COP 500
  2. COP 2,000
  3. COP 3,500 Correct answer.
  4. COP 1,500

Explanation

COP 2,000 + COP 1,500 = COP 3,500. Adding two amounts of Colombian pesos is a grade-5 money calculation using the COP thousands-comma format.

Question 23Matemáticas

A classroom rug is a rectangle 5 m long and 3 m wide. What is its perimeter?

  1. 8 m
  2. 15 m
  3. 16 m Correct answer.
  4. 30 m

Explanation

Perimeter of a rectangle is 2 × (length + width) = 2 × (5 + 3) = 2 × 8 = 16 m. That is the distance around the rug, not the area inside it.

Question 24Matemáticas

Half of the 18 students in a Zipaquirá fifth-grade class bring a ruana on a cold morning. How many students bring a ruana?

  1. 18
  2. 9 Correct answer.
  3. 6
  4. 36

Explanation

One half of 18 is 18 ÷ 2 = 9. Finding a unit fraction of a whole number is a grade-5 numerical task.

Question 25Matemáticas

A teacher shares 56 stickers equally among 7 children in the same row. How many stickers does each child get?

  1. 6
  2. 7
  3. 9
  4. 8 Correct answer.

Explanation

56 ÷ 7 = 8. Equal sharing is division; 7 × 8 = 56 confirms the quotient.

Question 26Matemáticas

A bakery in Bucaramanga makes 4 trays of almojábanas. Each tray holds 9 almojábanas. How many almojábanas are there in all?

  1. 13
  2. 32
  3. 36 Correct answer.
  4. 45

Explanation

4 × 9 = 36. Multiplication of whole numbers models equal groups of bakery trays.

Question 27Matemáticas

A school garden in Armenia has 20 tomato plants. Three fourths of them already have fruit. How many plants have fruit?

  1. 12
  2. 15 Correct answer.
  3. 16
  4. 5

Explanation

Three fourths of 20 is (20 ÷ 4) × 3 = 5 × 3 = 15. Finding a non-unit fraction of a whole number is expected at grade 5.

Question 28Matemáticas

An arepa costs COP 1,800. Valentina buys 3 arepas and pays with a COP 10,000 bill. How much change should she receive?

  1. COP 5,400
  2. COP 4,600 Correct answer.
  3. COP 8,200
  4. COP 1,800

Explanation

Three arepas cost 3 × COP 1,800 = COP 5,400. Change is COP 10,000 − COP 5,400 = COP 4,600. Both the multiplication and the subtraction are required.

Question 29Matemáticas

A rectangular patio at a Medellín school is 10 m long and 7 m wide. What is its perimeter?

  1. 17 m
  2. 70 m
  3. 34 m Correct answer.
  4. 27 m

Explanation

Perimeter = 2 × (10 + 7) = 2 × 17 = 34 m. That is the length of fencing needed to go once around the patio.

Question 30Matemáticas

The same rectangular patio is 10 m long and 7 m wide. What is its area?

  1. 34 m²
  2. 17 m²
  3. 70 m² Correct answer.
  4. 3 m²

Explanation

Area of a rectangle is length × width = 10 × 7 = 70 m². Area measures the surface inside the patio, not the distance around it.

Question 31Matemáticas

A library table shows books borrowed: lunes 12, martes 9, miércoles 15, jueves 8. On which day were the most books borrowed?

  1. Lunes
  2. Martes
  3. Miércoles Correct answer.
  4. Jueves

Explanation

15 is the largest of 12, 9, 15, and 8, so miércoles had the most loans. Grade-5 random-component items include reading a simple frequency table and comparing values.

Question 32Matemáticas

A classroom mural has 12 equal tiles, and 4 of them are blue. Which fraction represents the blue part in simplest form?

  1. 1/2
  2. 1/3 Correct answer.
  3. 2/3
  4. 3/4

Explanation

The blue part is 4/12. Dividing the numerator and denominator by 4 gives 1/3, so one third of the mural is blue.

Question 33Matemáticas

A Papelería in Pereira has 5 boxes of crayons with 12 crayons in each box. The art club uses 18 crayons. How many crayons are left?

  1. 60
  2. 42 Correct answer.
  3. 48
  4. 30

Explanation

5 × 12 = 60 crayons at the start. After 18 are used, 60 − 18 = 42 remain. The item needs both multiplication and subtraction.

Question 34Matemáticas

Ana and Luis have identical chocolate bars divided into eighths. Ana eats 5/8 of hers and Luis eats 3/8 of his. Who eats the greater fraction?

  1. Luis, because 3/8 is greater
  2. They eat equal fractions
  3. Ana, because 5/8 is greater Correct answer.
  4. The fractions cannot be compared

Explanation

The bars are identical and both fractions count eighths. Five eighths is more than three eighths, so Ana eats the greater fraction.

Question 35Matemáticas

A gardener in Pasto wants to put a fence around a rectangular huerto that is 8 m long and 5 m wide. Which measurement tells how much fencing is needed?

  1. The area, 40 m²
  2. The perimeter, 26 m Correct answer.
  3. The area, 26 m²
  4. The difference 8 − 5 = 3 m

Explanation

A fence goes around the garden, so the needed length is the perimeter: 2 × (8 + 5) = 26 m. Area 8 × 5 = 40 m² would describe soil surface, not fencing.

Question 36Matemáticas

Recreo juice cups sold: grado 4 sold 18, grado 5 sold 24, grado 6 sold 21. How many more cups did grado 5 sell than grado 4?

  1. 3
  2. 6 Correct answer.
  3. 42
  4. 24

Explanation

24 − 18 = 6, so fifth grade sold 6 more cups than fourth grade. Comparing two rows of a small data table is a grade-5 random-component skill.

Question 37Matemáticas

A rectangular sports court in Ibagué is 14 m long and 10 m wide. A rectangular storage box 4 m by 2 m sits on the court. How many square metres of court are free around the box?

  1. 140 m²
  2. 8 m²
  3. 132 m² Correct answer.
  4. 28 m²

Explanation

Court area is 14 × 10 = 140 m². Box area is 4 × 2 = 8 m². Free surface is 140 − 8 = 132 m². The item requires two rectangle areas and a subtraction.

Question 38Matemáticas

A panela cake is cut into 12 equal slices. The family eats 1/3 of the cake. Then they pack 1/2 of what is left for a neighbor. How many slices remain at home?

  1. 8
  2. 4 Correct answer.
  3. 6
  4. 2

Explanation

One third of 12 slices is 4 eaten, so 8 slices remain. Half of those 8 is 4 packed for the neighbor, so 4 slices stay at home. Both fraction steps use the remaining whole, not the original cake twice.

Question 39Matemáticas

Notebooks cost COP 3,500 each and pens cost COP 1,800 each. Camila buys 5 notebooks and 2 pens. She pays with COP 25,000. How much change should she receive?

  1. COP 17,500
  2. COP 3,900 Correct answer.
  3. COP 21,100
  4. COP 6,100

Explanation

Notebooks: 5 × COP 3,500 = COP 17,500. Pens: 2 × COP 1,800 = COP 3,600. Total spent: COP 21,100. Change: COP 25,000 − COP 21,100 = COP 3,900.

Question 40Matemáticas

A rectangular mural in a Tunja school is 12 m long and has an area of 48 m². How many metres of tape are needed to go once around the mural's border?

  1. 16 m
  2. 48 m
  3. 32 m Correct answer.
  4. 36 m

Explanation

Width is area ÷ length = 48 ÷ 12 = 4 m. Tape around the border is the perimeter: 2 × (12 + 4) = 32 m. Students must recover the missing side before they can find the distance around.

Question 41Ciencias naturales

A bean plant in the classroom garden is growing taller. Which need is essential for the plant to make its own food in the leaves?

  1. Mineral fertilizer alone; the leaves do not need light
  2. Oxygen alone, even without water or light
  3. Sunlight, along with water and air Correct answer.
  4. Keeping the plant in a dark box as long as it is watered

Explanation

Green plants make food through photosynthesis, which needs light, water, and carbon dioxide from air. Light supplies the energy the leaves use to produce sugars.

Question 42Ciencias naturales

After a rainy morning in Quibdó, puddles on the playground slowly disappear when the sun comes out. Which process best explains the disappearing water?

  1. Condensation, as water vapor forms liquid droplets
  2. Infiltration, as liquid water soaks into the soil
  3. Evaporation of water into the air Correct answer.
  4. Freezing, as liquid water becomes ice

Explanation

Heat from the sun helps liquid water become water vapor in the air, which is evaporation. The liquid leaves the puddle's surface and enters the atmosphere as part of the water cycle.

Question 43Ciencias naturales

In the science corner, a steel paper clip moves toward a bar magnet when the magnet is close. What does this observation show?

  1. Magnets attract every kind of metal equally
  2. The paper clip creates magnetism only when it starts moving
  3. The magnet attracts some metal objects such as steel Correct answer.
  4. Any object with a silver color will be attracted

Explanation

Magnets attract ferromagnetic materials such as iron and steel. The steel clip moving toward the nearby magnet is direct evidence of that attraction.

Question 44Ciencias naturales

Before eating merienda, the teacher asks the class to wash their hands with soap and water. Why is this a healthy habit?

  1. Water alone removes every germ as effectively as soap
  2. Hands only need washing when dirt is visible
  3. It helps remove dirt and germs that can make people sick Correct answer.
  4. One wash with soap protects hands from germs for the rest of the day

Explanation

Handwashing with soap helps lift dirt, oils, and microbes from the skin so they can be rinsed away. Washing before eating reduces the chance that germs move from hands to food and into the body.

Question 45Ciencias naturales

Banana peels from merienda go in the organic-waste bin, while a plastic juice bottle goes in the recyclable-plastics bin. Why are they sorted differently?

  1. All waste can go together because it will be sorted automatically later
  2. Plastic decomposes in compost as quickly as a banana peel
  3. Peels can decompose as organic matter; many plastic bottles are recycled separately Correct answer.
  4. Burning both materials is the safest way to dispose of them

Explanation

Organic scraps can break down in compost, while plastic bottles belong to a different recycling stream. Sorting the materials keeps compost cleaner and makes recyclable plastic easier to recover.

Question 46Ciencias naturales

Roots of a maize plant grow down into moist soil. What is a main job of those roots?

  1. To make most of the plant's food underground
  2. To release water into the soil for the leaves to absorb
  3. To take in water and minerals from the soil Correct answer.
  4. To produce the plant's flowers below the soil

Explanation

Roots anchor the plant and absorb water and mineral nutrients from the soil. Those materials then move through the plant and support growth.

Question 47Ciencias naturales

Clouds form high in the air after a hot day near the Magdalena River. Which water-cycle step happens when water vapor cools and becomes tiny droplets that make a cloud?

  1. Evaporation
  2. Precipitation
  3. Condensation Correct answer.
  4. Transpiration

Explanation

When water vapor cools, it changes into tiny liquid droplets; this process is condensation. Many droplets grouped in the atmosphere form a cloud.

Question 48Ciencias naturales

Two bar magnets are placed with like poles facing each other and they push apart. What scientific idea does this illustrate?

  1. Like poles attract, while opposite poles repel
  2. Every combination of magnetic poles repels
  3. Like magnetic poles repel Correct answer.
  4. Pole labels do not affect how two magnets interact

Explanation

Like poles (north-north or south-south) repel, while opposite poles attract. The observed pushing apart is the force expected when like poles face each other.

Question 49Ciencias naturales

A classmate says people do not need fruits or vegetables if they eat only fried snacks every day. Which response is most consistent with healthy-habit knowledge at grade 5?

  1. Fried snacks provide every nutrient if the portions are large enough
  2. Vitamin tablets completely replace the need for varied foods
  3. A varied diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and other groups supports health better than only fried snacks Correct answer.
  4. All fats should be removed from the diet, including foods that supply useful fats

Explanation

No single fried snack supplies all the nutrients the body needs. A varied diet provides a broader combination of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and water.

Question 50Ciencias naturales

Students in a Bogotá class give two pots of the same bean seeds equal soil and water. They place one by a window and the other in a closed cupboard. After several days the cupboard seedlings look pale and weak. Which inquiry conclusion fits the observation?

  1. The window pot proves sunlight is the only condition any plant needs
  2. The cupboard pot proves water does not affect seedlings
  3. Light likely mattered for healthy growth in this comparison Correct answer.
  4. The result proves every plant species responds to light in exactly the same way

Explanation

The pots use the same seeds, soil, and water, while light is the factor that differs. The paler, weaker growth in the cupboard therefore supports light as a likely cause of the observed difference.