ACT Aspire Grade 9 flashcards
ACT Aspire Grade 9 · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Comma splice
- A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by only a comma; it can be corrected with a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction.
- Dangling modifier
- A dangling modifier is a descriptive phrase that does not clearly attach to the word it is meant to describe, often because the intended subject is missing.
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement means a pronoun must match its antecedent in number and person; singular antecedents take singular pronouns, and plural antecedents take plural pronouns.
- Active voice
- Active voice places the doer of the action as the sentence subject, as in 'The committee approved the plan,' making the sentence direct and usually shorter.
- Colon use
- A colon follows an independent clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation; it should not separate a verb from its object or a preposition from its object.
- Semicolon use
- A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction; it also separates list items when the items themselves contain commas.
- Parallel structure
- Parallel structure uses the same grammatical form for items in a series or comparison, such as 'reading, writing, and speaking' rather than mixing gerunds, nouns, and infinitives.
- Slope formula
- The slope formula computes steepness as m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1), which is the vertical change divided by the horizontal change between two points.
- Slope-intercept form
- Slope-intercept form is y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-coordinate where the line crosses the y-axis.
- Pythagorean theorem
- The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides: a² + b² = c².
- Percent change
- Percent change equals the new value minus the old value, divided by the old value, multiplied by 100; a positive result is an increase and a negative result is a decrease.
- Probability of event
- The probability of an event equals the number of favorable outcomes divided by the total number of equally likely outcomes; its complement is 1 minus that probability.
- Mean, median, mode
- The mean is the sum of values divided by the count; the median is the middle value when data are ordered; the mode is the value that occurs most often.
- Volume of a prism
- The volume of a right prism or cylinder is V = B × h, where B is the area of the base and h is the perpendicular height.
- System of equations
- A system of equations is two or more equations solved together; a solution makes every equation true, and it can be found by substitution or elimination.
- Main idea
- The main idea is the central point that a passage develops as a whole; supporting details explain, illustrate, or provide evidence for that central point.
- Inference
- An inference is a conclusion based on evidence in the text plus reasonable background knowledge; it must be supported by details rather than personal guesswork.
- Tone versus mood
- Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, while mood is the feeling or atmosphere that the text creates in the reader; the two are related but distinct.
- Characterization
- Characterization is how an author reveals a character's traits through speech, actions, thoughts, appearance, and other characters' reactions; direct characterization states traits, and indirect characterization implies them.
- Cause and effect
- Cause and effect links an event to its result; cause answers why something happened, and effect answers what happened because of it. Signal words include because, therefore, and as a result.
- Independent variable
- The independent variable is the factor an experimenter deliberately changes or manipulates; it is plotted on the x-axis when graphing the relationship between variables.
- Dependent variable
- The dependent variable is the factor measured in an experiment; it responds to changes in the independent variable and is plotted on the y-axis.
- Density formula
- Density is mass divided by volume, often written D = m/V; it expresses how much matter is packed into a given space, such as grams per cubic centimeter.
- Newton's second law
- Newton's second law states that force equals mass times acceleration, F = ma; a larger force produces greater acceleration, and greater mass reduces acceleration for the same force.
- Food chain energy flow
- A food chain shows energy passing from producers to consumers; arrows point in the direction of energy flow, and only about ten percent typically transfers between trophic levels.
- Atomic number
- The atomic number of an element equals the number of protons in one atom of that element; in a neutral atom, it also equals the number of electrons.
- Thesis statement
- A thesis statement is a sentence that states the essay's main claim and often previews the organization or main points that the body paragraphs will develop.
- Topic sentence
- A topic sentence states the main idea of a paragraph; it usually appears near the beginning and controls the evidence and commentary that follow in that paragraph.
- Counterclaim
- A counterclaim is an opposing position that a writer acknowledges in an argument; a strong response answers it with evidence and reasoning rather than ignoring it.
- Revision versus editing
- Revision changes content, organization, and clarity, while editing corrects grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling; revision usually occurs before final editing in the writing process.
- Transition words
- Transition words signal relationships between ideas: addition words include also and furthermore; contrast words include however and although; cause words include therefore and because; example words include for instance.
- Complex sentence
- A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause; the dependent clause begins with a subordinating conjunction such as although, because, or when.