ISEE Lower Level Quiz: Order Of Operations
20 questions · exam conditions
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Order Of OperationsQuestion 1 of 20

A bus starts with 45 passengers. At the first stop, 5 passengers get off. At the second stop, 3 groups of 4 passengers get on. How many passengers are on the bus now?

13
28
52
172
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ISEE Lower Level Quiz

ISEE Lower Level Quiz: Order Of Operations

Practice Order Of Operations in ISEE Lower Level with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Order Of Operations, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for ISEE Lower Level.

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.

All questions

Question 1

A bus starts with 45 passengers. At the first stop, 5 passengers get off. At the second stop, 3 groups of 4 passengers get on. How many passengers are on the bus now?

  1. 13
  2. 28
  3. 52 (correct answer)
  4. 172
Explanation: This problem can be represented by the expression 45 − 5 + 3 × 4. First, calculate the number of passengers getting on: 3 × 4 = 12. The expression becomes 45 − 5 + 12. Now, do the addition and subtraction from left to right. First, 45 − 5 = 40. Then, 40 + 12 = 52. There are 52 passengers on the bus.

Question 2

What is the value of 36 ÷ 6 ÷ 3?

  1. 2 (correct answer)
  2. 18
  3. 6
  4. 3
Explanation: When an expression has only division, the operations are performed from left to right. First, calculate 36 ÷ 6 = 6. Then, use that result for the next operation: 6 ÷ 3 = 2.

Question 3

Samara is solving the problem 50 − 10 + 4 × 2. Her steps are shown below. Step 1: 4 × 2 = 8 Step 2: 10 + 8 = 18 Step 3: 50 − 18 = 32

In which step did Samara make her first mistake?

  1. Step 1
  2. Step 2 (correct answer)
  3. Step 3
  4. Samara's answer is correct.
Explanation: The correct way to solve 50 − 10 + 4 × 2 is: First, multiplication: 4 × 2 = 8. The expression becomes 50 − 10 + 8. Next, addition and subtraction are done from left to right. So, 50 − 10 = 40. Then, 40 + 8 = 48. Samara correctly did the multiplication in Step 1. However, in Step 2, she added 10 + 8 before subtracting 10 from 50. This violates the left-to-right rule for addition and subtraction. Her first mistake was in Step 2.

Question 4

What is the value of the expression 48 ÷ 4 + 2 × (5 − 1)?

  1. 32
  2. 20 (correct answer)
  3. 56
  4. 4
Explanation: To solve this problem, follow the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS). First, solve the operation in the parentheses: (5 − 1) = 4. The expression becomes 48 ÷ 4 + 2 × 4. Next, perform multiplication and division from left to right. 48 ÷ 4 = 12, and 2 × 4 = 8. The expression is now 12 + 8. Finally, perform addition: 12 + 8 = 20.

Question 5

To make the equation 6 × 5 − 2 + 3 = 21 true, parentheses should be placed around which part of the expression?

  1. 5 − 2 (correct answer)
  2. 2 + 3
  3. 6 × 5
  4. 5 − 2 + 3
Explanation: Test each option. A) 6 × (5 − 2) + 3 = 6 × 3 + 3 = 18 + 3 = 21. This is true. B) 6 × 5 − (2 + 3) = 30 − 5 = 25. False. C) (6 × 5) − 2 + 3 = 30 − 2 + 3 = 31. False. D) 6 × (5 − 2 + 3) = 6 × (3 + 3) = 6 × 6 = 36. False. Therefore, placing parentheses around 5 − 2 makes the equation true.

Question 6

Four students evaluated the expression 4 + 8 × 2.

  • Anna got 24.
  • Ben got 20.
  • Carla got 14.
  • David got 32.

Who is correct?

  1. Anna
  2. Ben (correct answer)
  3. Carla
  4. David
Explanation: To evaluate 4 + 8 × 2, follow the order of operations. Multiplication comes before addition. So, first calculate 8 × 2 = 16. Then, add 4: 4 + 16 = 20. Ben's answer of 20 is correct. Anna likely added first: (4 + 8) × 2 = 24.

Question 7

Expression A: 3 × (4 + 6) Expression B: 3 × 4 + 6

What is the difference between the values of Expression A and Expression B?

  1. 12 (correct answer)
  2. 18
  3. 30
  4. 48
Explanation: First, evaluate Expression A: 3 × (4 + 6) = 3 × 10 = 30. Next, evaluate Expression B: 3 × 4 + 6 = 12 + 6 = 18. Finally, find the difference between their values: 30 − 18 = 12.

Question 8

Which expression has the same value as 50 − (10 + 4 × 5)?

  1. (50 − 10) + 4 × 5
  2. 50 − 10 + 4 × 5
  3. 10 + 40 ÷ (8 − 4) (correct answer)
  4. (50 − 10 + 4) × 5
Explanation: First, find the value of the given expression: 50 − (10 + 4 × 5) = 50 − (10 + 20) = 50 − 30 = 20. Now, evaluate the answer choices to find which one also equals 20. A) (50 − 10) + 4 × 5 = 40 + 20 = 60. B) 50 − 10 + 4 × 5 = 50 − 10 + 20 = 60. C) 10 + 40 ÷ (8 − 4) = 10 + 40 ÷ 4 = 10 + 10 = 20. D) (50 − 10 + 4) × 5 = (40 + 4) × 5 = 44 × 5 = 220. Choice C is the correct answer.

Question 9

Maya thinks of a number. She subtracts 3 from it, then multiplies the result by 4. Finally, she adds 6. If the final answer is 30, what number did Maya think of?

  1. 12
  2. 9 (correct answer)
  3. 8
  4. 3
Explanation: To find the original number, work backward from the final answer and reverse the operations. The final answer is 30. The last step was adding 6, so subtract 6: 30 − 6 = 24. The step before that was multiplying by 4, so divide by 4: 24 ÷ 4 = 6. The first step was subtracting 3, so add 3: 6 + 3 = 9. The original number was 9.

Question 10

What is the value of the expression 12 + 3 × 2 − 10 ÷ 5?

  1. 16 (correct answer)
  2. 4
  3. 28
  4. 12
Explanation: Following the order of operations, first perform multiplication and division from left to right. 3 × 2 = 6 and 10 ÷ 5 = 2. The expression becomes 12 + 6 − 2. Now, perform addition and subtraction from left to right. 12 + 6 = 18. Then, 18 − 2 = 16.

Question 11

Which expression has the greatest value?

  1. 10 + 6 × 2 − 4
  2. (10 + 6) × 2 − 4
  3. 10 + 6 × (4 − 2)
  4. (10 + 6) × (4 − 2) (correct answer)
Explanation: Evaluate each expression using the order of operations. A) 10 + 12 − 4 = 22 − 4 = 18. B) 16 × 2 − 4 = 32 − 4 = 28. C) 10 + 6 × 2 = 10 + 12 = 22. D) 16 × 2 = 32. Comparing the results (18, 28, 22, 32), the expression in choice D has the greatest value.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true?

  1. 15 − 5 × 2 = 20
  2. 12 + 8 ÷ 4 = 5
  3. 20 ÷ 5 + 5 = 2
  4. 18 − 3 × 2 + 4 = 16 (correct answer)
Explanation: Evaluate each statement using the order of operations. A) 15 − 5 × 2 = 15 − 10 = 5, not 20. B) 12 + 8 ÷ 4 = 12 + 2 = 14, not 5. C) 20 ÷ 5 + 5 = 4 + 5 = 9, not 2. D) 18 − 3 × 2 + 4 = 18 − 6 + 4 = 12 + 4 = 16. This statement is true.

Question 13

A prize of $100 is shared equally among 4 friends. One of the friends, Maria, then buys a book for $12 using her share of the money. How much money does Maria have left?

  1. $97
  2. $22
  3. $13 (correct answer)
  4. $12
Explanation: First, find Maria's share of the prize money by dividing the total prize by the number of friends: $100 ÷ 4 = $25. Next, subtract the cost of the book from her share: $25 − $12 = $13. Maria has $13 left.

Question 14

What is the value of 5 + 3 × (10 − 4)?

  1. 48
  2. 31
  3. 23 (correct answer)
  4. 76
Explanation: According to the order of operations, first calculate the expression inside the parentheses: 10 − 4 = 6. The expression becomes 5 + 3 × 6. Next, perform the multiplication: 3 × 6 = 18. The expression becomes 5 + 18. Finally, perform the addition: 5 + 18 = 23.

Question 15

Liam buys 4 packs of trading cards for $3 each and a binder for $7. He pays with a $20 bill. How much change does he receive?

  1. $1.00 (correct answer)
  2. $8.00
  3. $15.00
  4. $5.00
Explanation: First, calculate the total cost of the items. The cost of the cards is 4 × $3 = $12. Add the cost of the binder: $12 + $7 = $19. This is the total cost. The change is the amount paid minus the total cost: $20 − $19 = $1.00.

Question 16

An expression is simplified using the correct order of operations. Expression: 60 ÷ (5 + 1) × 2 Which operation should be performed first?

  1. Add 5 and 1, because it is in parentheses. (correct answer)
  2. Divide 60 by 5, because it is the first operation from the left.
  3. Multiply 1 by 2, because multiplication has higher priority than addition.
  4. Divide 60 by the entire expression (5 + 1) × 2.
Explanation: The order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS) states that operations inside parentheses must be performed first. In the expression 60 ÷ (5 + 1) × 2, the operation 5 + 1 is inside parentheses, so it must be calculated before any other step.

Question 17

A cook has 32 potatoes. He uses 8 of them for a stew. He then divides the remaining potatoes equally into 4 bags. How many potatoes are in each bag?

  1. 30
  2. 24
  3. 6 (correct answer)
  4. 0
Explanation: First, find the number of potatoes remaining after the cook uses some for stew: 32 − 8 = 24. Then, divide the remaining potatoes into 4 equal bags: 24 ÷ 4 = 6. There are 6 potatoes in each bag. The expression representing this is (32 - 8) ÷ 4.

Question 18

What is the value of 5 × 4 + 3 × 2 + 1?

  1. 27 (correct answer)
  2. 29
  3. 47
  4. 71
Explanation: According to the order of operations, multiplication is performed before addition. First, calculate 5 × 4 = 20. Next, calculate 3 × 2 = 6. The expression becomes 20 + 6 + 1. Finally, add the numbers from left to right: 20 + 6 = 26, and 26 + 1 = 27.

Question 19

What is the missing number that makes the equation true? 4 × ( ? + 3) = 20

  1. 8
  2. 5
  3. 2 (correct answer)
  4. 1
Explanation: To solve for the missing number, you can work backward. The equation shows that 4 times some quantity equals 20. That quantity must be 5, because 20 ÷ 4 = 5. The quantity in the parentheses is (? + 3), so ? + 3 = 5. The missing number must be 2, because 2 + 3 = 5.

Question 20

Mr. Chen has a board that is 15 feet long. He cuts off 3 pieces that are each 2 feet long. Then he cuts the remaining piece in half. How long is each of the final two pieces?

  1. 12 feet
  2. 6.5 feet
  3. 4.5 feet (correct answer)
  4. 1.5 feet
Explanation: First, calculate the total length of the 3 pieces cut off: 3 × 2 = 6 feet. Next, find the length of the remaining board: 15 − 6 = 9 feet. Finally, cut the remaining piece in half: 9 ÷ 2 = 4.5 feet. Each of the final two pieces is 4.5 feet long.