TASC French cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports only one paragraph and cannot serve as the main idea.

Inference rules: a valid inference must be forced by stated evidence; if a choice needs outside knowledge, reject it.

Tone words split into positive (approving, admiring), negative (skeptical, critical), and neutral (analytical, descriptive).

Sequence questions: locate time or order signals (first, after, meanwhile, finally) and map events onto that chain.

Author's purpose options: to persuade, to inform, to entertain, to compare, to criticize; purpose differs from topic.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each answer choice into the sentence and keep only the one matching surrounding logic.

Paired-passage items: identify each author's claim separately, then classify the relationship as agree, disagree, or partial overlap.

Fact vs. opinion: a fact can be verified; opinion markers include should, best, seems, and evaluative adjectives.

Sentence fragment = missing subject, missing verb, or dependent clause standing alone (begins with because, although, when).

Run-on/comma splice fix: join with a semicolon, a comma plus coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS), or split into two sentences.

Subject-verb agreement: ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb; indefinite pronouns (everyone, each, neither) take singular verbs.

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

Comma uses: separate items in a series, set off introductory elements, join independent clauses with a conjunction, mark nonessential clauses.

Apostrophes: possessive singular adds 's; plural possessive adds s'; it's = it is, while its is possessive.

Modifier placement: a descriptive phrase must sit next to the noun it describes, otherwise it dangles.

Parallel structure: items joined by and, or, not only...but also must share grammatical form (all nouns, all gerunds, all infinitives).

Percent change = (new - old) / old x 100; percent of a number = rate x base, so part = percent x whole.

Slope = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1); slope-intercept form y = mx + b; parallel lines share slope, perpendicular slopes multiply to -1.

Pythagorean theorem a^2 + b^2 = c^2 applies only to right triangles, with c the hypotenuse.

Area formulas: rectangle lw, triangle (1/2)bh, circle pi r^2, trapezoid ((a+b)/2)h; volume of a rectangular prism = lwh.

Mean = sum/count; median = middle value of ordered data; mode = most frequent; range = max - min.

Probability of an event = favorable outcomes / total outcomes; independent events multiply, as in P(A and B) = P(A)P(B).

Exponent rules: x^a times x^b = x^(a+b); x^a / x^b = x^(a-b); (x^a)^b = x^(ab); x^0 = 1 for x not 0.

Linear equation solving: isolate the variable by inverse operations, and reverse the inequality sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative.

Cell theory: all living things are made of cells, the cell is the basic unit of life, and cells arise from existing cells.

Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using light energy in chloroplasts; respiration reverses it in mitochondria.

Newton's laws: inertia (no net force means constant velocity), F = ma, and equal-opposite action-reaction pairs.

Atomic structure: protons determine element identity, neutrons affect mass number, and electrons occupy shells and drive bonding.

pH scale: below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic; each unit represents a tenfold change in hydrogen ion concentration.

Water cycle stages: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection; energy from the sun drives the cycle.

Density = mass/volume; an object denser than its fluid sinks, less dense floats.

Food chain energy: producers capture sunlight, consumers transfer energy, and roughly 90 percent of energy is lost at each level.

Three branches: legislative makes laws, executive enforces laws, judicial interprets laws; checks and balances limit each branch.

Bill of Rights: first ten amendments protect speech, religion, press, assembly, bearing arms, due process, and reserved powers.

Federalism divides power between national and state governments; the Supremacy Clause makes federal law supreme.

U.S. timeline anchors: Declaration 1776, Constitution 1787, Civil War 1861-1865, Great Depression 1929, Civil Rights Act 1964.

Supply and demand: price rises when demand exceeds supply and falls when supply exceeds demand; equilibrium balances both.

Map skills: latitude lines run east-west and measure north-south position; longitude lines run north-south and measure east-west.

Types of government: democracy (power by the people), monarchy (hereditary ruler), oligarchy (rule by a few), dictatorship (single ruler).

Economic systems range from market (private decisions) to command (state decisions) to mixed economies combining both.