WA ASET cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports only one part and cannot answer a main-idea question.

Supporting details answer who, what, when, where, why, or how; if a sentence cannot be tied to the main idea, treat it as an aside.

Inference is a conclusion the text strongly implies but does not state; if the text states it directly, it is a detail, not an inference.

Sequence questions: order events by explicit time markers (first, then, after, finally) before relying on paragraph order.

Cause and effect: the cause answers 'why did this happen'; a preceding event is not automatically the cause.

Compare/contrast passages: track each item's attributes in a two-column mental table; shared attributes are the overlap.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each candidate word into the sentence and keep only the one that preserves the sentence's logic.

Author's purpose is usually to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain; the verb choice follows the passage's dominant function.

Fact vs. opinion: a fact can be verified independently; an opinion contains judgment words such as best, should, or unfair.

A complete sentence needs a subject and a finite verb and must not begin with a subordinating word unless a main clause follows.

Comma splice = two independent clauses joined by only a comma; fix with a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction.

FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) join independent clauses and take a comma before them.

A conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover) after a semicolon takes a comma after it, not before.

Subject-verb agreement: locate the true subject and ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb.

Pronoun case: use the subjective form for subjects (he, she, they) and the objective form after prepositions and verbs (him, her, them).

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

Modifier placement: a descriptive phrase must sit next to the word it describes; otherwise it is a dangling or misplaced modifier.

Apostrophes mark possession (singular 's, plural s') or contraction; they never form a plain plural.

Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100; a 20% increase then a 20% decrease yields a net 4% decrease, not zero.

Percent of a number: convert the percent to a decimal and multiply (15% of 80 = 0.15 × 80 = 12).

Ratios scale by multiplying both terms by the same factor; set up a proportion a/b = c/d and cross-multiply.

Unit rate = quantity ÷ time or cost ÷ quantity; compare rates only after converting to the same units.

Mean = sum ÷ count; median = middle value of an ordered list; mode = most frequent value; outliers shift the mean most.

Probability of a single event = favorable outcomes ÷ total equally likely outcomes; probabilities range from 0 to 1.

Area of a rectangle = length × width; area of a triangle = ½ × base × height; circumference of a circle = πd.

Order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division left to right, then addition/subtraction left to right.

Convert units by multiplying by a fraction equal to 1 (e.g., 100 cm / 1 m) arranged so unwanted units cancel.

Identify the goal, the given information, and the constraint before choosing a method; restating the question prevents solving the wrong problem.

Work backward from the answer choices by substituting them into the conditions; the first choice that satisfies all conditions is correct.

Estimate first: rounding to convenient numbers flags answers that are off by an order of magnitude.

Sufficient vs. necessary: a condition that guarantees the result is sufficient; one the result requires is necessary.

Correlation is not causation; a third variable or reverse causation can explain an observed association.

Base-rate neglect: a rare condition produces many false positives even with an accurate test, so compare rates, not counts.

Check for hidden assumptions in an argument; an unstated premise is often where the reasoning fails.

Proof by contradiction: assume the opposite of the claim and show it forces an impossible result.

Sanity-check units and magnitude at the end; a plausible-looking number with wrong units is still wrong.

Active listening: paraphrase the speaker's point and confirm understanding before responding.

Conflict resolution sequence: address the specific behavior, describe its impact, then agree on a concrete next step.

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Prioritize tasks by urgency and importance; urgent-but-unimportant work is delegated or scheduled, not done first.

Chain of command: report concerns to the immediate supervisor before escalating, unless safety or law requires otherwise.

Confidentiality: share customer or personnel information only with those who have a work-related need to know.

Workplace safety: report hazards and injuries promptly; the right to refuse unsafe work is generally protected.

Reliability is demonstrated by punctuality, meeting deadlines, and notifying others early when a commitment slips.

Constructive feedback is specific, behavior-focused, and timely rather than personal or delayed.

Source hierarchy: peer-reviewed or government sources outrank commercial sites; blogs and forums are weakest for factual claims.

CRAAP test dimensions: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

A URL ending in .gov or .edu indicates the hosting institution, not automatic accuracy of the content.

Lateral reading: leave the page and check what other independent sources say about the author or claim.

Phishing indicators: mismatched sender domains, urgency, unexpected attachments, and requests for credentials.

Strong passwords are long and unique per account; a password manager removes the need to memorize them.

HTTPS encrypts traffic in transit but does not prove the site is trustworthy or that its content is true.

Backups follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two media types, with one stored off-site.

Public Wi-Fi traffic can be intercepted; use a VPN or avoid logging into sensitive accounts on untrusted networks.