TASC English Studio cheat sheet

Main idea: the central claim or point of a passage; often stated in the first or last sentence of an introductory paragraph.

Supporting details: facts, examples, or statistics that explain, illustrate, or prove the main idea.

Inference: a conclusion drawn from evidence in the text plus logical reasoning; it is not directly stated.

Author's purpose: to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain; identify by analyzing tone, word choice, and structure.

Tone: the author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through diction, imagery, and sentence structure.

Text structure: compare-contrast, cause-effect, problem-solution, chronological, or description; signal words indicate the pattern.

Vocabulary in context: determine meaning by examining surrounding words, sentence logic, and the passage's overall topic.

Fact vs. opinion: facts can be verified; opinions express beliefs, feelings, or judgments and often include evaluative adjectives.

Summarizing: condense a text by stating its main idea and key supporting points in your own words, omitting minor details.

Thesis statement: a single sentence that presents the main argument or claim of an essay, usually at the end of the introduction.

Topic sentence: the first sentence of a body paragraph that states the paragraph's main point and connects to the thesis.

Paragraph unity: every sentence in a paragraph should support the topic sentence; remove irrelevant sentences.

Coherence: use transitional words (however, therefore, for example) and pronoun references to connect ideas logically.

Essay structure: introduction with thesis, body paragraphs with topic sentences and evidence, conclusion that restates the thesis and offers a final thought.

Evidence integration: introduce, cite, and explain quotations or data; do not let evidence stand alone without analysis.

Revision vs. editing: revision focuses on content, organization, and clarity; editing focuses on grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Audience awareness: adjust vocabulary, tone, and level of detail based on the intended reader's knowledge and expectations.

Subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb; ignore prepositional phrases between them.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement: a pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender; indefinite pronouns like everyone are singular.

Comma rules: use commas to separate items in a series, after introductory phrases, around nonessential clauses, and before coordinating conjunctions joining independent clauses.

Semicolon: joins two independent clauses without a conjunction or separates items in a series that already contain commas.

Colon: introduces a list, explanation, or quotation after an independent clause.

Apostrophes: show possession (singular: 's; plural: s') and form contractions; never use apostrophes to form plural nouns.

Verb tense consistency: maintain the same tense throughout a passage unless a shift in time is clearly indicated.

Modifier placement: place modifiers next to the word they describe; misplaced or dangling modifiers create confusion.

Parallel structure: items in a list or comparison must use the same grammatical form (e.g., all infinitives, all gerunds).

Active listening: focus fully on the speaker, avoid interrupting, and use nonverbal cues (nodding, eye contact) to show engagement.

Paraphrasing: restate the speaker's message in your own words to confirm understanding and clarify meaning.

Questioning: ask open-ended questions to gather information and closed-ended questions to confirm specific details.

Discussion roles: facilitator, note-taker, timekeeper, and presenter; each role has distinct responsibilities in a group setting.

Consensus building: seek common ground by summarizing points of agreement and addressing disagreements respectfully.

Presentation structure: opening hook, clear thesis, organized body with evidence, and a conclusion that summarizes key points.

Audience analysis: consider the audience's background, interests, and expectations to tailor language and content.

Nonverbal communication: gestures, posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice influence how a message is received.

Evaluating a speaker: assess clarity, organization, use of evidence, and delivery; provide specific, constructive feedback.

Primary source: original, firsthand material such as interviews, surveys, letters, or original research data.

Secondary source: interprets or analyzes primary sources, such as textbooks, reviews, or scholarly articles.

Credibility: evaluate an author's credentials, publication reputation, date of publication, and evidence of bias.

Citation: provide complete source information (author, title, date, publisher) so readers can locate the original material.

Paraphrasing: restate a source's idea in your own words and sentence structure; still requires a citation.

Direct quotation: use exact words from a source, enclose in quotation marks, and cite the source.

Plagiarism: presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own without proper attribution; avoid by citing all sources.

Synthesis: combine information from multiple sources to support a new claim or perspective, showing relationships among ideas.

Research question: a focused, answerable question that guides the scope and direction of an investigation.