ISEE Lower Level Mathematics Achievement Quiz: Estimating Totals From Tables

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Estimating Totals From Tables, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for ISEE Lower Level Mathematics Achievement.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. about $17
2. about $21.50 (correct answer)
3. about $24.50
4. about $10.00

Explanation: To estimate, round the prices to numbers that are easy to work with. Round $2.49 to$2.50, $3.99 to$4.00, and $3.55 to$3.50. The estimated cost is (4 × $2.50) + (2 ×$4.00) + $3.50 =$10.00 + $8.00 +$3.50 = $21.50. The exact cost is$21.49.

Question 2

1. between $19 and$21
2. between $22 and$24 (correct answer)
3. between $25 and$27
4. between $11 and$13

Explanation: To estimate the total, round the prices. Round $4.45 to$4.50, $1.29 to$1.25, and $5.85 to$6.00. The estimated cost is (2 × $4.50) + (6 ×$1.25) + $6.00 =$9.00 + $7.50 +$6.00 = $22.50. This falls between$22 and $24. The exact cost is$22.49.

Question 3

1. about $42
2. about $49 (correct answer)
3. about $52
4. about $40

Explanation: Estimate by rounding each price to the nearest dollar. Round $24.89 to$25, $4.15 to$4, and $11.97 to$12. The estimated total is $25 + (3 ×$4) + $12 =$25 + $12 +$12 = $49. The exact cost is$49.31.

Question 4

1. between $36 and$39
2. between $39 and$42
3. between $42 and$45 (correct answer)
4. between $45 and$48

Explanation: To estimate, round each price to the nearest dollar. Round $15.97 to$16, $21.19 to$21, and $4.89 to$5. The estimated total cost is $16 +$21 + $5 =$42. This amount is between $42 and$45. The exact cost is $42.05.

Question 5

1. about $36 (correct answer)
2. about $28
3. about $42
4. about $32

Explanation: Estimate by rounding each price. Round $19.79 to$20, $6.29 to$6, and $2.49 to$2.50. The estimated total is $20 +$6 + (4 × $2.50) =$26 + $10 =$36. The exact cost is $36.04.

Question 6

1. about $26
2. about $40
3. about $52 (correct answer)
4. about $60

Explanation: First, estimate the cost for one vehicle. Round $12.99 to$13, $8.95 to$9, and $4.25 to$4. The cost for one vehicle is about $13 +$9 + $4 =$26. Since the customer gets services for two vehicles (van and car), the total estimated cost is 2 × $26 =$52. The exact cost is $52.38.

Question 7

1. between $13 and$15
2. between $15 and$17
3. between $17 and$19 (correct answer)
4. between $19 and$21

Explanation: To estimate the total cost, round the prices to easier numbers. Round $2.95 to$3.00, $1.49 to$1.50, and $0.79 to$0.80. The estimated cost is (3 × $3.00) + (5 ×$1.50) + (2 × $0.80) =$9.00 + $7.50 +$1.60 = $18.10. This amount is between$17 and $19. The exact cost is$17.88.

Question 8

1. between $34 and$36
2. between $37 and$39
3. between $40 and$42 (correct answer)
4. between $43 and$45

Explanation: To find the best estimate, round the prices. Round $8.95 to$9.00, $4.75 to$5.00, and $3.25 to$3.00. The estimated cost is (2 × $9.00) + (4 ×$5.00) + $3.00 =$18.00 + $20.00 +$3.00 = $41.00. This amount is between$40 and $42. The exact cost is$40.15.

Question 9

1. about $25
2. about $30 (correct answer)
3. about $35
4. about $21

Explanation: Estimate by rounding each price. Round $0.78 to$0.80, $4.19 to$4.00, and $3.89 to$4.00. The estimated total is (12 × $0.80) + (3 ×$4.00) + (2 × $4.00) =$9.60 + $12.00 +$8.00 = $29.60. This is closest to$30. The exact cost is $29.71.

Question 10

1. between $18 and$20
2. between $20 and$22
3. between $22 and$24 (correct answer)
4. between $24 and$26

Explanation: To estimate, round the prices. Round $2.29 to$2.25, $7.95 to$8.00, and $1.89 to$2.00. The estimated cost is (4 × $2.25) +$8.00 + (3 × $2.00) =$9.00 + $8.00 +$6.00 = $23.00. This amount falls between$22 and $24. The exact cost is$22.78.

Question 11

1. about $33
2. about $45 (correct answer)
3. about $52
4. about $11

Explanation: To estimate, round the prices. Round $8.29 to$8.25 and $2.89 to$3.00. The estimated total is (4 × $8.25) + (4 ×$3.00) = $33.00 +$12.00 = $45.00. The exact cost is$44.68.

Question 12

1. between $35 and$38
2. between $38 and$41
3. between $41 and$44 (correct answer)
4. between $44 and$47

Explanation: Estimate the total by rounding. Round $22.89 to$23, $14.25 to$14, and $4.99 to$5. The estimated cost is $23 +$14 + $5 =$42. This amount is between $41 and$44. The exact cost is $42.13.

Question 13

1. between $13 and$15
2. between $15 and$17
3. between $17 and$19 (correct answer)
4. between $19 and$21

Explanation: To estimate, round the prices. Round $1.89 to$2.00, $2.29 to$2.25, and $4.79 to$5.00. The estimated cost is (5 × $2.00) + (2 ×$2.25) + $5.00 =$10.00 + $4.50 +$5.00 = $19.50. This is between$17 and $19. A better estimate is (5 x$1.90) + (2 x $2.30) +$4.80 = $9.50 +$4.60 + $4.80 =$18.90, which is also in the correct range. The exact cost is $18.92.

Question 14

1. about $12
2. about $15
3. about $18 (correct answer)
4. about $9

Explanation: To estimate, round the prices. Round $1.99 to$2.00, and $2.89 to$3.00, and $4.15 to$4.00. The estimated cost is (2.5 × $2.00) + (3 ×$3.00) + $4.00 =$5.00 + $9.00 +$4.00 = $18.00. The exact cost is$17.82.

Question 15

1. between $55 and$60
2. between $60 and$65
3. between $34 and$39
4. between $65 and$70 (correct answer)

Explanation: When you see a question asking for the "best estimate," you're being tested on your ability to round numbers strategically to make mental math easier, then calculate an approximate total. Let's round each item to a nearby "friendly" number: The t-shirts cost $18.99 each, which rounds to about$19. Two t-shirts would be $19 × 2 =$38. The snow globe costs $12.15, which rounds to about$12. The keychains cost $3.75 each, which rounds to about$4. Four keychains would be $4 × 4 =$16. Adding these estimates: $38 +$12 + $16 =$66. This falls clearly in the range of $65 to$70, making D correct. Let's see why the other choices miss the mark. Choice A ($55 to$60) is too low—this might happen if you forgot to double the t-shirt cost or significantly under-rounded the prices. Choice B ($60 to$65) is close but still underestimates the total; you might land here if you rounded too aggressively downward (like treating the t-shirts as $17 each instead of$19). Choice C ($34 to$39) is far too low and likely results from a major calculation error, such as forgetting to multiply the quantities or only accounting for some of the items. The key to estimation problems is strategic rounding—round to numbers that make multiplication easy (like $19 instead of$18.99) while staying close to the original values. Don't round everything down or everything up; aim for accuracy in your approximation.

Question 16

1. about $47
2. about $55
3. about $62 (correct answer)
4. about $70

Explanation: Estimate by rounding each price. Round $24.95 to$25, $14.89 to$15, and $7.25 to$7. The estimated cost is $25 +$15 + (3 × $7) =$40 + $21 =$61. This is closest to $62. The exact cost is$61.59.

Question 17

1. about $16
2. about $22 (correct answer)
3. about $26
4. about $7

Explanation: To estimate, round the prices. Round $4.85 to$5.00 and $1.95 to$2.00. The estimated cost for the 4 cones and 1 water is (4 × $5.00) +$2.00 = $20.00 +$2.00 = $22.00. The exact cost is$21.35.

Question 18

1. between $40 and$43
2. between $43 and$46
3. between $37 and$40
4. between $46 and$49 (correct answer)

Explanation: This is an estimation problem that tests your ability to round numbers strategically to quickly approximate a total cost. When you see "best estimate" questions, you want to round each price to a nearby convenient number, then calculate. Let's round each item to make the math easier: 3 bags of soil at $6.98 each rounds to 3 ×$7 = $21. The watering can at$12.49 rounds to about $12. Five flower plants at$2.75 each rounds to 5 × $3 =$15 (since $2.75 is close to$3). Adding these rounded amounts: $21 +$12 + $15 =$48. This falls squarely in the range of $46 to$49, confirming answer D. Looking at the wrong answers: Choice A ($40-$43) is too low because it likely comes from rounding too aggressively downward, perhaps treating the plants as $2 each instead of closer to$3. Choice B ($43-$46) is also too low, possibly from rounding the soil bags down to $6 each rather than up to$7. Choice C ($37-$40) is significantly too low and suggests multiple rounding errors, like treating expensive items as much cheaper than they actually are. The key strategy for estimation problems is to round to numbers that make mental math easy, but round some up and some down to balance out your errors. Don't automatically round everything down, as this will consistently underestimate totals. Practice rounding to the nearest dollar or half-dollar to build speed and accuracy.

Question 19

1. about $22
2. about $25
3. about $14
4. about $28 (correct answer)

Explanation: When you encounter estimation problems, you're practicing a valuable real-world skill: quickly approximating costs without getting bogged down in exact calculations. The key is to round each price to a nearby "friendly" number that's easy to work with mentally. Let's round each item to the nearest dollar: 3 paperback books at $6.95 each rounds to$7.00 per book, giving us $3 ×$7 = $21. The bookmark at$1.49 rounds to $1, and the poster at$5.25 rounds to $5. Adding these estimates together:$21 + $1 +$5 = $27. Since $27 is closest to$28, answer choice D is correct. Let's examine why the other choices miss the mark. Choice A ($22) significantly underestimates the total—this might happen if you only counted the books and forgot the other items, or if you rounded the book prices down too aggressively to$6 each. Choice B ($25) is closer but still too low; you might get this if you rounded the books to$6.50 each instead of $7, giving you about$19.50 for books plus $6.50 for the other items. Choice C ($14) is far too low and suggests a major calculation error, perhaps only counting two books or making a significant arithmetic mistake. For estimation questions, remember to round to the nearest dollar (or sometimes nearest $5 or$10 for larger numbers), then choose the answer closest to your estimate. Don't worry about being perfectly precise—that's not the goal of estimation problems.

Question 20

1. between $70 and$75
2. between $75 and$80
3. between $40 and$45
4. between $80 and$85 (correct answer)

Explanation: When you see a question asking for the "best estimate," you're being tested on your ability to round numbers strategically to make mental math easier while still getting a reasonable approximation. Let's round each price to make the calculation simpler. The hammer costs $14.95, which rounds to$15. The box of nails costs $6.15, which rounds to$6. Each paint can costs $19.99, which rounds to$20, and since Mr. Chen buys 3 cans, that's $20 × 3 =$60. Adding our rounded amounts: $15 +$6 + $60 =$81. This falls clearly between $80 and$85, making choice D correct. Looking at the wrong answers: Choice A ($70-$75) is too low because it likely comes from underestimating the paint costs or forgetting that Mr. Chen bought 3 cans. Choice B ($75-$80) is close but still underestimates the total—you might get this if you rounded the paint cans down to $18 each instead of up to$20. Choice C ($40-$45) is far too low and suggests a major calculation error, possibly forgetting to multiply the paint price by 3 or mixing up which items cost what. For estimation problems, round to the nearest convenient number (like $5 or$10) rather than always rounding to the nearest dollar. This makes mental math faster and your estimates more accurate. Also, double-check that you've accounted for quantities—here, remembering that Mr. Chen bought 3 paint cans was crucial.