ISASP Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield ISASP facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. An ecosystem in Iowa has a drought that reduces the grass population. Which effect on the food chain is most likely? → Rabbits that eat grass will decrease, causing fox populations to also decrease
2. An atom of carbon has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons. What is the overall charge of this atom? → 0 (neutral)
3. Which text structure presents events in the order they happened? → Chronological order
4. Which organelle is responsible for producing energy (ATP) in animal cells through cellular respiration? → Mitochondria
5. What type of question on the ISASP Reading test asks you to determine how a specific paragraph contributes to the overall text? → A text structure and development question
6. Iowa experiences four distinct seasons because: → Earth's axis is tilted at about 23.5°, changing the angle of sunlight reaching Iowa
7. A recipe calls for 2 1/2 cups of oats. If you want to make 1.5 times the recipe, how many cups of oats do you need? → 3 3/4 cups
8. On the ISASP Writing assessment, what is meant by 'audience awareness'? → Adjusting tone, vocabulary, and content to suit the intended reader
9. Which of the following is required for a plant to produce glucose? → Carbon dioxide
10. A rock layer containing marine fossils is found on top of a mountain in Iowa. What does this most likely indicate? → The area was once covered by a shallow sea
11. In a pie chart showing percentages, what must all the sections add up to? → 100%
12. A food web shows grass → grasshopper → frog → snake → hawk. If a disease kills most of the frogs, which population would most likely increase first? → Grasshoppers
13. What does it mean to synthesize information from multiple sources? → To combine ideas from several sources to form a new, complete understanding
14. Which shapes have four right angles at all times? → Square and rectangle
15. Five-pound bags of oranges cost $3.00 a piece from a fruit stand. Every bag contains fifteen oranges. How much does an orange cost? → $0.20
16. Which of the following is an example of a physical change? → Sugar dissolving in water
17. What is the purpose of a text's 'supporting details'? → To back up and explain the central idea
18. What natural resource has historically made Iowa one of the most agriculturally productive states in the U.S.? → Rich, deep topsoil created by glacial deposits and prairie grasses
19. What is the value of the expression 4² + 3²? → 25
20. Which sentence correctly uses a comma with a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses? → She studied hard for the ISASP, so she felt confident on test day.
21. What does the Latin root 'bene-' mean in words like 'benefit,' 'benevolent,' and 'benefactor'? → Good or well
22. A carton holds a dozen eggs. How many eggs does the carton contain if it is one-third full? → 4
23. Which property of light is demonstrated when a prism separates white light into a rainbow of colors? → Refraction and dispersion
24. Which type of genetic mutation involves a single base in the DNA sequence being substituted for a different base? → Point (substitution) mutation
25. What does 'popular sovereignty' mean in U.S. democracy? → Government power comes from the consent of the governed (the people)
26. On the ISASP ELA test, what does the word 'connotation' mean? → The emotional association or implied meaning a word carries beyond its literal definition
27. The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was significant because it: → Roughly doubled the size of the United States by acquiring land from France
28. In a year, ABC Apparel sold 19,824 T-shirts. What is the monthly average of T-shirt sales for the company? → 1,652
29. Which river forms Iowa's eastern border with Illinois and Wisconsin? → The Mississippi River
30. Which of the following correctly describes the relationship between wavelength and frequency of electromagnetic waves? → Shorter wavelength means higher frequency