Free Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) 3rd Grade Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What number, when rounded to the nearest hundred, is 678?

600
700 (Correct answer)
670
680

Correct answer: 700

To round 678 to the nearest hundred, you look at the tens digit. Since the tens digit (7) is 5 or greater, you round up the hundreds digit. Therefore, 678 rounds up to 700.

Question 2: The Thompson family traveled 362 miles. What is 362 to the closest hundredth?

400 (Correct answer)
370
360
300

Correct answer: 400

To round 362 to the nearest hundred, you examine the tens digit. Since the tens digit (6) is 5 or greater, you round up the hundreds digit. Thus, 362 rounds up to 400.

Question 3: How much is 946 when it's rounded to the closest hundred?

900 (Correct answer)
850
800
950

Correct answer: 900

To round 946 to the nearest hundred, you observe the tens digit. Since the tens digit (4) is less than 5, you round down, keeping the hundreds digit the same and changing the tens and ones to zero. Therefore, 946 rounds down to 900.

Question 4: The number of competitors at a track meet was rounded up to the nearest ten by the trainer. There are 400 runners, rounded up. Which figure might represent the real number of competitors at the track meet?

382
447
397 (Correct answer)
406

Correct answer: 397

If 400 is the number rounded up to the nearest ten, the original number must have had a ones digit of 5 or greater, and its tens digit would have been 9 (to round up to the next hundred). Among the options, 397 has a 7 in the ones place, which rounds 390 up to 400 when rounding to the nearest ten.

Question 5: Nathan "accidentaly" "spilled" the milk in his glass. Which of the following words is misspelled?

spilled
milk
milk
accidentaly (Correct answer)

Correct answer: accidentaly

The word 'accidentaly' is misspelled; the correct spelling is 'accidentally.' It requires two 'l's before the 'y' to be grammatically correct. The other words in the sentence are spelled correctly.

Question 6: I brought Buster a present. I was excited to give it to _____ . Select finest missing word.

him (Correct answer)
I
her
me

Correct answer: him

The sentence requires an objective pronoun to act as the object of the preposition 'to.' 'Him' is the correct objective pronoun to refer to Buster, completing the sentence grammatically and logically. 'I,' 'her,' and 'me' are incorrect in this context.

Question 7: Determine who the target audience is for the next passage. His arm was the length of his nose. The trees moved when he sneezed. A mile away, he could smell a dinner.

class short story
party invitation
class descriptive paragraph (Correct answer)
news bulletin

Correct answer: class descriptive paragraph

The passage uses exaggerated and imaginative language to create vivid imagery and describe a character's traits. This style is characteristic of a descriptive paragraph, which aims to paint a detailed picture for the reader, often found in creative writing assignments for a class.

Question 8: My sister and I are partners In this phrase:

a question
a command
a statement (Correct answer)
an exclamation

Correct answer: a statement

The phrase 'My sister and I are partners' conveys information or an idea without asking a question, giving a command, or expressing strong emotion. It simply states a fact, which is the definition of a statement in grammar.

Question 9: Which student's capitalization is in the appropriate place?

cats like to Purr.
cats Like to purr.
Cats like to purr. (Correct answer)
cats like to purr.

Correct answer: Cats like to purr.

Standard English capitalization rules dictate that the first word of a sentence must always be capitalized. In option C, 'Cats' is correctly capitalized at the beginning of the sentence, while the other words are correctly in lowercase, adhering to proper grammar.

Question 10: On Halloween, a bat was swooping across the pitch-black night. What does bat mean?

hide
hit
animal (Correct answer)
jump

Correct answer: animal

In the context of 'a bat was swooping across the pitch-black night,' the word 'bat' refers to the nocturnal flying mammal. The action of 'swooping' is characteristic of an animal flying, not a piece of sports equipment or a verb.

Question 11: Paul visited his grandmother. He observed pigs, horses, and cows. He aided his grandmother in selecting apples. Paul is at a ______ right now.

circus
school
farm (Correct answer)
zoo

Correct answer: farm

The passage describes Paul observing pigs, horses, and cows, and helping his grandmother select apples. These animals and activities are characteristic of a farm environment. A circus, school, or zoo would not typically involve all these elements together in this context.

Question 12: Snout refers to a pig's nose. Pigs have powerful, flexible snouts. Pigs use their snouts to dig in the ground. Roots, mushrooms, and earthworms are among the foods they unearth. Pigs ________________ with their snouts.

uncover food
smell (Correct answer)
make noises
eat mushrooms

Correct answer: smell

The passage states that a snout refers to a pig's nose. While pigs use their snouts to dig and unearth food, the primary sensory function of a nose is to smell. Therefore, pigs use their powerful snouts to smell and locate food like roots and earthworms beneath the ground before digging them up.

Question 13: Primates include gorillas and monkeys. About 235 different species of primates exist. Interesting primates to study include great apes. The size of great apes is often greater than that of other primates. The gorilla, for instance, is the biggest primate ever. The average male gorilla weighs 600 pounds. Compared to some of the lesser primates, such the mouse lemur, it weighs 4000 times more. Although great apes are smarter than many other primates, they nevertheless fall short of human intelligence. Which one of the following are true?

Gorillas are not primates.
Gorillas weigh up to 600 pounds. (Correct answer)
Gorillas are as smart as humans.
Gorillas weigh 4000 pounds

Correct answer: Gorillas weigh up to 600 pounds.

The passage explicitly states, 'The average male gorilla weighs 600 pounds.' This directly confirms option B. The other options are contradicted by the text, as gorillas are primates, they are not as smart as humans, and they weigh 600 pounds, not 4000 pounds.

Question 14: Carving a wooden piece is a

chemical change
physical change (Correct answer)

Correct answer: physical change

A physical change alters the form or appearance of a substance but does not change its chemical composition. When wood is carved, its shape and size change, but it remains wood; no new substances are formed. Therefore, carving a wooden piece is a physical change.

Question 15: Milk souring is a

chemical change (Correct answer)
physical change

Correct answer: chemical change

Milk souring is a chemical change because bacteria convert lactose (a sugar) into lactic acid, producing new substances with different properties. This process changes the chemical composition of the milk, leading to its characteristic sour taste and altered texture. The formation of new chemical compounds is the defining characteristic of a chemical change.

Question 16: Cutting a rope into small pieces is a

chemical change
physical change (Correct answer)

Correct answer: physical change

Cutting a rope is a physical change because it only alters the size and shape of the rope, not its chemical composition. The rope remains made of the same material, just in smaller segments. No new substances are formed during this process, which is the key indicator of a physical change.

Free Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) 3rd Grade Questions and Answers

What number, when rounded to the nearest hundred, is 678?