ISSB Academic and Initial Tests Syllabus

What are the formulas for the volume and total surface area of a cube of side a?

Volume = a³; Total surface area = 6a².

What is the formula for the volume of a cylinder with radius r and height h?

Volume = πr²h.

What is the formula for profit percentage in terms of cost price (CP) and selling price (SP)?

Profit% = ((SP − CP) / CP) × 100, where Profit = SP − CP.

How do you find the selling price when cost price and a desired profit percentage are known?

SP = CP × (1 + Profit%/100). For CP = 200 at 15% profit: SP = 200 × 1.15 = 230.

What is the formula for simple interest (SI)?

SI = (P × R × T) / 100, where P = principal, R = rate per annum, T = time in years.

What is the formula for compound interest amount (A)?

A = P(1 + R/100)^T; Compound Interest = A − P, where compounding is annual.

How is a discount percentage calculated, and on what value is it applied?

Discount% = (Discount / Marked Price) × 100. The discount is applied to the marked (list) price, not the cost price; Selling Price = Marked Price − Discount.

What are the three degrees of comparison for adjectives, with an example?

Positive, Comparative, and Superlative. Example: good, better, best (or tall, taller, tallest).

What is the difference between the simple present and the present continuous tense?

Simple present states habitual or general facts (She writes letters). Present continuous describes an action happening now (She is writing a letter).

What is the structure and use of the present perfect tense?

Structure: has/have + past participle (e.g., She has eaten). It links a past action to the present, often for completed actions with present relevance or unspecified time.

What are the three main types of conditional sentences and their typical tense patterns?

First conditional: If + present simple, will + base verb (real future). Second conditional: If + past simple, would + base verb (unreal present). Third conditional: If + past perfect, would have + past participle (unreal past).

What is the difference between active and passive voice, with an example?

In active voice the subject performs the action (The boy kicked the ball). In passive voice the subject receives the action (The ball was kicked by the boy); formed with be + past participle.

What is an idiom, and what does the idiom 'a piece of cake' mean?

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning differs from the literal meaning of its words. 'A piece of cake' means something very easy to do.

What does the idiom 'to bite the bullet' mean?

To force oneself to endure or do something difficult or unpleasant that has been avoided.

What does the idiom 'once in a blue moon' mean?

Something that happens very rarely.

In reading comprehension, what is the difference between the main idea and a supporting detail?

The main idea is the central point the passage is making; supporting details are facts, examples, or reasons that explain or back up the main idea.

What does it mean to infer in a comprehension passage?

To infer is to draw a logical conclusion that is implied but not directly stated, using clues in the text combined with reasoning.

What is the basic rule of subject-verb agreement in sentence correction?

A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb (e.g., He runs / They run).

What common error does 'Neither of the boys are coming' contain, and what is the correction?

'Neither' is singular, so it needs a singular verb: 'Neither of the boys is coming.'

What is a misplaced modifier, and how is it corrected?

A misplaced modifier is a word or phrase positioned so it appears to describe the wrong thing. It is corrected by placing the modifier next to the word it actually describes (e.g., 'She almost drove the kids to school every day' → 'She drove the kids to school almost every day').

What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

A synonym is a word with the same or similar meaning (happy/joyful); an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning (happy/sad).

Give a synonym and an antonym for the word 'abundant'.

Synonym: plentiful (or ample). Antonym: scarce (or sparse).

Give an antonym for each: 'ancient', 'benevolent', and 'transparent'.

Ancient → modern; Benevolent → malevolent (cruel); Transparent → opaque.

When did Pakistan gain independence, and who was its founder and first Governor-General?

Pakistan gained independence on 14 August 1947. Its founder and first Governor-General was Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

What is the national language of Pakistan, and what are its capital and largest city?

The national language is Urdu. The capital is Islamabad, and the largest city is Karachi.

In which year did the Lahore (Pakistan) Resolution get passed, and who presided over the session?

The Lahore Resolution was passed on 23 March 1940 at Minto Park, Lahore, in a session presided over by A.K. Fazlul Haq's moving of the resolution and chaired by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Who was the poet who gave the idea of a separate Muslim state and is called the national poet of Pakistan?

Allama Muhammad Iqbal, who presented the idea in his 1930 Allahabad Address.

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salah (five daily prayers), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting in Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).

What are the six articles of faith (Iman) in Islam?

Belief in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Day of Judgment, and Taqdeer (Divine predestination/Qadr).

How many Surahs are in the Holy Quran, and in which two cities were its revelations grouped?

The Holy Quran has 114 Surahs. Its revelations are grouped as Makki (revealed in Makkah) and Madani (revealed in Madinah).