Victoria LET Assessment 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 that the entire passage supports. Every paragraph should relate to it; a detail that covers only one paragraph is too narrow to be the main idea.

Valid inference

A conclusion not stated outright but logically required by the text. If the statement could be false while the passage stays true, it is not a valid inference.

Context clue types

Definition clues use appositives or dashes; contrast clues use words like however or unlike; cause-effect clues use because or thus; example clues use such as. Each reveals an unknown word's meaning.

Author's purpose verbs

Inform means explaining a process or presenting facts; persuade means advocating a position; critique means evaluating strengths and flaws; entertain means narrating or amusing. Purpose answers should match one of these.

Modus ponens

The valid form: If P then Q; P is true; therefore Q is true. Affirming the consequent instead (If P then Q; Q; therefore P) is a logical error.

Contrapositive equivalence

If P then Q is logically equivalent to If not Q then not P. The inverse, If not P then not Q, is not equivalent and cannot be inferred from the original statement.

Necessary versus sufficient

A necessary condition must hold for the outcome but does not guarantee it. A sufficient condition guarantees the outcome. Treating one as the other is the most common reasoning error.

Negation of all

The contradictory of 'All A are B' is 'Some A are not B', not 'No A are B'. 'Some' means at least one and possibly every member of the group.

Assumption negation test

To find a necessary assumption, negate each candidate answer. If negating it makes the argument fall apart, that statement was required by the reasoning.

Analogy relation direction

Identify the exact relation, such as part-to-whole, cause-to-effect, or degree, and confirm it runs the same direction in both pairs. Reversed relations are wrong answers.

Percent change formula

Percent change equals new value minus old value, divided by old value, times 100. Always divide by the original amount, not the new one.

Successive percentage multipliers

Convert each change to a multiplier: a 20% rise is 1.2, a 20% fall is 0.8. Multiply them, so 1.2 times 0.8 gives 0.96, a net 4% decrease.

Average and sum

Average equals sum divided by count, so sum equals average times count. If one value rises by d, the average of the group rises by d divided by the count.

Ratio part value

For a ratio a to b, total parts equal a plus b. Value per part equals the total divided by the number of parts; multiply by a or b as needed.

Combined work rate

Add rates expressed as jobs per unit time: 1 over a plus 1 over b equals 1 over t, where t is the time working together. Rates add; times do not.

Compound versus simple interest

Simple interest equals principal times rate times time. Compound amount equals principal times (1 plus rate) raised to the number of periods, which grows faster once interest earns interest.

Probability complement rule

The probability of an event plus the probability of its complement equals 1. Independent events multiply; mutually exclusive alternatives add.

Subject-verb agreement rule

The verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, ignoring intervening prepositional phrases. 'The box of nails is heavy' is correct because box is singular.

Comma splice

Joining two independent clauses with only a comma. Fix it with a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or by splitting into two sentences.

Restrictive versus nonrestrictive

A restrictive clause is essential to meaning and takes no commas, usually introduced by that. A nonrestrictive clause is extra information, takes paired commas, and often uses which.

Dangling modifier

An introductory phrase must describe the subject of the main clause. 'Walking home, she saw rain' works; 'Walking home, the rain began' does not.

Parallel structure

Items in a list and elements joined by and, or, or not only but also must share grammatical form, such as all nouns, all infinitives, or all gerunds.

Affect versus effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence. Effect is usually a noun meaning a result. Fewer applies to countable items; less applies to mass quantities.

Rotation versus reflection

Rotation preserves shape, size, and orientation, turning the figure about a point. Reflection produces a mirror image, reversing handedness, so an asymmetric feature flips sides.

Superposition rule

In three-figure series, the third figure often combines the first two. Overlapping lines may be cancelled, leaving only lines unique to one figure, or retained.

Odd-one-out strategy

Find a property shared by all but one option: number of enclosed regions, curved versus straight lines, symmetry count, or open versus closed shapes. The exception is the answer.

Matrix row and column rules

Test horizontal rules and vertical rules separately. The intended rule typically holds consistently across rows, or across columns, but rarely inconsistently in both.

Primary versus secondary source

A primary source is original data, a document, or an eyewitness account. A secondary source interprets, summarizes, or analyzes primary material, adding a layer of interpretation.

Correlation versus causation

An observed association may arise from a third variable, reverse causation, or coincidence. Only controlled comparison or experimental manipulation supports a causal claim.

Truncated axis effect

Starting a graph's vertical axis above zero exaggerates small differences. Always check axis labels, units, and scale increments before drawing conclusions from a chart.

Mean versus median

The mean is pulled by outliers; the median and mode resist them. Report which measure a data set uses before comparing groups or claiming a typical value.

Spaced review advantage

Distributing study across multiple sessions produces better long-term retention than spending the same total time in one massed session, an effect called the spacing effect.