TASC Japanese flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Main idea

The central claim a passage develops from start to finish. It is broad enough to cover every paragraph but specific enough to exclude unrelated topics.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence stated in the passage plus general logic. A valid inference must be supported by the text, not merely plausible in real life.

Author's tone

The attitude the writer expresses through word choice, such as skeptical, admiring, or neutral. Tone differs from mood, which is the feeling created in the reader.

Context clue

Surrounding words that reveal an unfamiliar word's meaning, often through definition, contrast, example, or cause-and-effect signals in the same sentence or nearby sentences.

Text structure

The organizational pattern of a passage, such as cause-effect, compare-contrast, chronological, or problem-solution. Recognizing structure helps locate the main idea and supporting details.

Subject-verb agreement

A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Prepositional phrases between them do not change the subject's number.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. Correct it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.

Parallel structure

Items in a series or after correlative conjunctions share the same grammatical form, such as all gerunds or all infinitives, so the sentence reads evenly.

Misplaced modifier

A descriptive phrase placed too far from the word it describes, creating confusion. Introductory phrases should modify the subject of the main clause.

Thesis statement

A single sentence stating the essay's position and the main supporting reasons. It usually appears in the introduction and controls the body paragraphs.

Its versus it's

Its shows possession, as in the dog wagged its tail. It's is a contraction of it is or it has and never marks possession.

Percent change

The difference between new and old values divided by the old value, times one hundred. A positive result is an increase; a negative result is a decrease.

Slope formula

Slope equals the change in y divided by the change in x between two points. It measures steepness and appears as m in y = mx + b.

Pythagorean theorem

In a right triangle, the squares of the two legs sum to the square of the hypotenuse: a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

Mean, median, mode

Mean is the sum divided by the count. Median is the middle value of an ordered list. Mode is the most frequent value.

Probability of independent events

When one event does not affect another, multiply their individual probabilities to find the chance both occur, such as two coin flips landing heads.

Order of operations

Evaluate parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Area of a triangle

Area equals one half times base times height, where height is perpendicular to the chosen base. This differs from perimeter, which measures distance around.

Cell theory

All living organisms are composed of cells, the cell is the basic unit of life, and new cells arise from existing cells through division.

Photosynthesis

Plants use light energy in chloroplasts to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Cellular respiration uses oxygen and glucose to release energy.

Newton's second law

Force equals mass times acceleration. A larger force produces greater acceleration, while a larger mass produces less acceleration for the same force.

Density

Density is mass divided by volume. An object floats in a fluid when its density is lower than the fluid's density and sinks when higher.

Producers and consumers

Producers make their own food using sunlight, while consumers eat other organisms. Energy passes along a food chain, with roughly ten percent reaching each higher level.

Plate boundaries

Divergent boundaries create new crust as plates separate, convergent boundaries collide or subduct, and transform boundaries slide past each other, causing earthquakes.

Atomic number

The number of protons in an atom's nucleus, which identifies the element. Changing neutrons produces a different isotope, while changing electrons produces an ion.

Three branches of government

The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch carries them out, and the judicial branch interprets them. Each branch can check the powers of the others.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, protecting freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly along with due process and fair trial rights.

Federalism

A system dividing power between a national government and state governments. The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the national government to the states.

Supply and demand

As price rises, quantity demanded generally falls and quantity supplied rises. The market moves toward equilibrium, where the two quantities are equal.

Push and pull factors

Push factors such as war or famine drive people away from a place, while pull factors such as jobs or safety attract them to a new location.

Primary source

A record created at the time of an event by someone who participated or witnessed it, such as a letter, photograph, or official document.

Latitude and longitude

Latitude lines run east-west and measure distance north or south of the equator. Longitude lines run north-south and measure distance east or west of the prime meridian.