ISEE Primary 3 cheat sheet

Main idea: the one sentence that covers the whole passage; details support it but do not replace it. Test by asking whether the statement still fits after removing any single detail.

Supporting detail questions point back to a specific sentence; the correct answer restates that sentence without adding new information or personal opinion.

Sequence words signal order: first, next, then, after, finally, before, later, meanwhile. A timeline question is answered by locating these words, not by guessing.

Cause and effect: the cause answers 'why' and the effect answers 'what happened.' Signal words include because, so, since, therefore, as a result, and if...then.

Vocabulary in context: read the sentence before and after the target word, substitute each choice, and keep only the word that preserves the sentence's meaning.

Inference is a conclusion the text strongly supports but does not state directly; an answer that needs outside knowledge or a big leap is wrong.

Fact versus opinion: a fact can be checked (dates, measurements, events); opinion words include best, worst, should, beautiful, fun, and easier.

Character and feeling questions are answered from actions and dialogue: what a character does and says reveals traits such as patient, curious, or stubborn.

Author's purpose is usually one of three: to inform (facts), to persuade (convince you), or to entertain (tell a story). The overall text structure points to which one.

Place value: in a 4-digit number, digits name thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones; 4,706 = 4,000 + 700 + 6, and the 7 is worth 700.

Rounding: to round to the nearest 10 or 100, look at the digit to the right; 5 or more rounds up, 4 or less stays the same (e.g., 368 rounds to 370 and to 400).

Addition and subtraction within 1,000 use regrouping; line up place values and regroup when a column sums past 9 or when the top digit is smaller.

Multiplication facts to 10 × 10 model equal groups and arrays; 6 × 7 means 6 groups of 7, and the commutative property gives 6 × 7 = 7 × 6.

Division is the inverse of multiplication: 42 ÷ 6 = 7 because 6 × 7 = 42; a remainder must be smaller than the divisor.

Fractions: the denominator counts equal parts in one whole and the numerator counts parts taken; 3/4 means 3 of 4 equal parts, and 1/2 = 2/4.

Equivalent fractions and comparison: multiply or divide numerator and denominator by the same number; same denominator, larger numerator wins; same numerator, smaller denominator is larger.

Perimeter adds all side lengths (rectangle: P = 2 × (length + width)); area of a rectangle is length × width, counted in square units.

Word problems: identify what is asked, underline the given numbers, choose the operation from the relationship (total, difference, equal groups, sharing), then check by estimating.