TASC English Level 3 cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports only one paragraph and cannot cover the rest.

Test each answer choice by asking whether the passage states or implies it; a true statement about the topic that the passage never makes is a wrong answer.

Text structure signals: cause/effect (because, as a result), comparison (similarly, whereas), problem/solution (however, one remedy), sequence (first, then, finally).

Author's purpose falls into explain/inform, persuade, or describe; persuasive text includes evaluative words and calls to action.

Tone words in informational text are usually neutral or evaluative (objective, cautionary, optimistic); emotional extremes rarely fit.

An inference must be forced by stated evidence; if two opposite conclusions both fit the text, the inference is not supported.

Chronology questions: locate dates or sequence words and order events by the passage's own markers, not by outside history knowledge.

When a question cites a line range, the correct answer must be defensible using only that range.

Theme is a general statement about life that the whole story develops; plot summary and one-word topics are not themes.

Character motive is revealed through speech, action, and others' reactions, not through the narrator's labels alone.

Narrative point of view: first person uses I/we and limits knowledge to the narrator; third-person limited stays inside one character; omniscient enters several minds.

Foreshadowing plants details whose significance becomes clear later; flashback interrupts chronology to supply earlier events.

Figurative language: simile uses like/as, metaphor states one thing is another, personification gives human traits to nonhuman things, hyperbole exaggerates.

Irony occurs when the stated or expected meaning contrasts with what actually happens or is meant.

Setting affects conflict and mood; a change of setting often marks a turning point in the narrative arc.

Mood is the feeling created in the reader; tone is the author's attitude - both are inferred from word choice and imagery.

Context clues: definition (is called, means), example (such as, including), contrast (but, unlike), and cause/effect (therefore, because).

Substitute each answer choice into the sentence; the correct word must fit both the sentence's meaning and its grammar (part of speech).

Connotation: words share denotation but differ in charge - thrifty/cheap, confident/arrogant, childlike/childish.

Prefixes: un-/in-/im-/dis- (not), re- (again), pre- (before), post- (after), sub- (under), inter- (between), anti- (against).

Suffixes set part of speech: -tion/-ment/-ness (noun), -ous/-ive/-al (adjective), -ize/-ify (verb), -ly (adverb).

Choose the most precise word: general verbs (said, went, good) are weaker than specific ones (muttered, trudged, adequate) when the context supplies detail.

A word's meaning can shift with subject area; use the surrounding technical terms to select the domain-appropriate sense.

Idioms and figures are not literal; if a phrase's literal reading contradicts the sentence, treat it as figurative.

Subject-verb agreement ignores prepositional phrases: the subject of 'The box of tools is' is box, so the verb is singular.

Indefinite pronouns: each, either, neither, everyone, nobody are singular; both, few, many, several are plural.

Pronoun case: use subject pronouns (I, he, they) for subjects and predicate nominatives; object pronouns (me, him, them) after prepositions and as objects.

A pronoun must have one clear antecedent; ambiguous or missing antecedents require a noun instead.

Comma rules: separate independent clauses with a comma plus conjunction; set off introductory elements and nonessential clauses; never join two clauses with a comma alone.

Semicolon joins two independent clauses or items in a complex list; colon follows a complete clause and introduces a list or explanation.

Avoid fragments (no independent clause) and run-ons (two clauses with no boundary); test by locating subject and verb in each clause.

Modifiers must sit next to the word they describe; a dangling modifier's implied subject differs from the sentence's actual subject.

Parallel structure: items in a series and after correlative pairs (either...or, not only...but also) must share grammatical form.

Argument structure: claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal, conclusion; every body paragraph ties evidence back to the claim.

A thesis is one sentence stating a debatable position (argument) or the controlling idea (informative) and previews the essay's organization.

Body paragraph pattern: topic sentence, evidence, explanation linking evidence to the claim, concluding or transitional sentence.

Informative essays explain rather than persuade: balanced, neutral tone, defined terms, and organization by cause/effect, comparison, or process.

Counterclaim paragraphs name the opposing view fairly, then refute it with evidence; dismissing it without evidence weakens the argument.

Transitions signal logic: however/nevertheless (contrast), therefore/consequently (result), for instance (example), similarly (comparison).

Vague evidence (many people, studies show) is weaker than specific, attributed evidence; qualify claims with words like often or likely when certainty is limited.

Formal essay register: avoid slang, contractions, and second person in academic argument unless the prompt specifies otherwise.

Quote exactly and enclose in quotation marks; use ellipsis (...) for omitted words and brackets [ ] for inserted clarification.

Introduce every quotation with the source and, where given, the author; a quotation dropped in without a signal phrase is a fluency error.

Paraphrase restates a source's idea in your own words and sentence structure; changing a few words while keeping the structure is still copying.

Follow each piece of evidence with commentary explaining how it supports the point; evidence without analysis does not count as support.

Cite the source as the passage or prompt presents it (author name, title, or line number); never invent page numbers or dates.

When two sources disagree, present both accurately and explain the difference rather than merging them into one claim.

Choose the strongest evidence: the quotation that directly addresses the claim beats one that is merely on the same topic.

Attribute ideas even when paraphrasing; uncredited use of another's idea is plagiarism regardless of wording.