Aruba Landsexamen MAVO cheat sheet

Word classes: nouns (zelfstandig naamwoord) name people, things, concepts; verbs (werkwoord) express actions or states; adjectives (bijvoeglijk naamwoord) modify nouns and take -e in most definite contexts (de rode fiets, een rood huis).

Sentence structure: in a main clause the finite verb occupies the second position (tweede positie); in a subordinate clause (bijzin) all verbs move to the end (Ik zie dat hij morgen komt).

Spelling rule for open/closed syllables: a long vowel is written single in an open syllable (ma-nen) and double in a closed syllable (man); a short vowel is followed by a double consonant in a closed syllable (katten).

Past tense formation: weak verbs add -te/-ten or -de/-den depending on the final stem consonant (voelen → voelde; werken → werkte); strong verbs change the stem vowel (lopen → liep).

The past participle of weak verbs is ge + stem + t/d (gewerkt, geleefd); strong verbs take ge + stem + en (gelopen, gezien).

Literary terms: thema (central idea), motief (recurring element), perspectief (point of view), vertelinstantie (narrator), tijd (chronology vs. flashback), ruimte (setting).

Formal letter conventions: afzender (sender) top left, geadresseerde (recipient) below, datum, betreft (subject), aanhef (Geachte heer/mevrouw), body, slotformule (Met vriendelijke groet), handtekening.

Reading strategies: voorspellen (predict), skimmen (skim for main idea), scannen (scan for details), woordraadstrategieën (context, word family, cognates) to infer unknown vocabulary.

Papiamento is the native language of Aruba, with official status alongside Dutch; it is a creole language with mainly Portuguese/Spanish lexical roots and African, Dutch, and English influences.

Orthography: the Aruban standard uses the letter 'c' only in the digraph 'ch'; otherwise 'k' is used (kasa, kuchara). The letter 'q' is not used.

Personal pronouns: mi (I), bo (you singular), e (he/she/it), nos (we), boso (you plural), nan (they).

Verb system: verbs are not conjugated for person; tense is marked by particles: ta (present), a (past), lo (future), tabata (past continuous), lo ta (future continuous).

Negation: 'no' is placed before the verb phrase (Mi no ta traha awe = I am not working today).

Articles: definite singular 'e' (e kas = the house), indefinite 'un' (un kas = a house); plural is marked by 'nan' (e kasnan = the houses).

Question formation: yes/no questions often use rising intonation or the particle 'akaso'; wh-questions begin with question words such as ken (who), kiko (what), unda (where), ki ora (when), pakiko (why), kon (how).

Common everyday vocabulary for exam contexts: kas (house), trabou (work), skol (school), famia (family), kuminda (food), awa (water), dia (day), anochi (night).

Tense formation: present simple (I work), present continuous (I am working), past simple (I worked), past continuous (I was working), present perfect (I have worked), future (will work / going to work).

Subject-verb agreement: third-person singular present adds -s (he works); plural subjects take the base form (they work).

Comparatives and superlatives: short adjectives add -er/-est (tall → taller → tallest); long adjectives use more/most (interesting → more interesting → most interesting); irregular forms include good → better → best, bad → worse → worst.

Conditionals: first conditional (If it rains, I will stay) for real future possibilities; second conditional (If I had time, I would travel) for unreal present situations.

Passive voice: be + past participle (The book was written by the author); the object of the active sentence becomes the subject.

Reading skills: skimming for gist, scanning for specific information, identifying topic sentences, and using context clues to guess meaning.

Writing conventions: paragraph structure (topic sentence, supporting details, concluding sentence); formal email layout (subject line, salutation, body, sign-off).

Common confusable pairs: their/there/they're; its/it's; then/than; affect/effect; fewer/less.

Order of operations: work through brackets, then powers/roots, then multiplication/division (left to right), then addition/subtraction (left to right) - BODMAS/PEMDAS.

Linear equations: solve ax + b = c by subtracting b from both sides, then dividing by a; check the solution by substitution.

Percentage calculations: part = percentage × whole; percentage change = (new − old) / old × 100%.

Area and perimeter: rectangle A = l × w, P = 2(l + w); triangle A = ½ × base × height; circle A = πr², circumference = 2πr.

Volume: rectangular prism V = l × w × h; cylinder V = πr²h.

Pythagoras' theorem: in a right-angled triangle a² + b² = c², where c is the hypotenuse.

Probability: P(event) = number of favourable outcomes / total number of equally likely outcomes; 0 ≤ P ≤ 1.

Statistics: mean = sum of values / number of values; median = middle value when ordered; mode = most frequent value.

Aruba is a constituent country (land) within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its own government, parliament (Staten), and prime minister; the Kingdom handles defence and foreign affairs.

The Aruban parliament has 21 members elected by proportional representation for a four-year term; the government is formed by a coalition with majority support.

Status Aparte: Aruba separated from the Netherlands Antilles on 1 January 1986 and became a separate country within the Kingdom.

Aruban history: Caquetío indigenous people; Spanish colonisation in the 16th century; Dutch control from 1636; slavery and the plantation economy; the discovery of oil at Seroe Colorado in 1924 and the refinery era; tourism became dominant after the refinery closed in 1985.

Government layers: central government (Aruba), the Kingdom, and the island territory; the Governor (Gouverneur) represents the King.

Citizenship rights and duties: voting age 18, compulsory education, paying taxes, obeying laws, jury/service duties where applicable.

Economy: tourism, oil refining (historically), offshore finance, and the free zone; the Aruban florin (AWG) is pegged to the US dollar at approximately 1.79.

Cultural heritage: Papiamento language, Carnival, Dia di Betico (25 January, Betico Croes), and national holidays such as 18 March (Flag Day).

Cell biology: plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts, and a large vacuole; animal cells do not; both have a nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane.

Photosynthesis: carbon dioxide + water + light energy → glucose + oxygen, occurring in chloroplasts with chlorophyll.

Human body systems: digestive (nutrient absorption), respiratory (gas exchange in alveoli), circulatory (heart pumps blood through arteries, veins, capillaries), nervous (brain, spinal cord, nerves).

Newton's laws: an object stays at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a force; F = m × a; every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Energy forms and conservation: kinetic, potential, thermal, chemical, electrical; energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Electricity: Ohm's law V = I × R; series circuits share current, parallel circuits share voltage; power P = V × I.

Chemistry basics: atoms consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons; the periodic table organises elements by atomic number; compounds form through ionic or covalent bonds.

Acids and bases: pH scale 0–14; acids have pH < 7 and turn litmus red; bases have pH > 7 and turn litmus blue; neutralisation produces salt and water.

Technical drawing conventions: use correct line types (solid for visible edges, dashed for hidden edges, dash-dot for centre lines) and include a title block with scale and dimensions.

Safety in the workshop: wear personal protective equipment (goggles, gloves, closed shoes); keep exits clear; report accidents immediately; know the location of the fire extinguisher and first-aid kit.

Measurement: use a ruler or tape measure to the smallest graduation; record units (mm, cm, m); allow for tolerance in practical tasks.

Food and nutrition: the five food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins/minerals, water); hygiene rules include hand washing, separate raw and cooked foods, and safe storage temperatures.

Business/economics basics: income − expenses = profit or loss; a budget lists expected income and expenditure; VAT (BTW) is a percentage added to the price of goods and services.

Care and wellbeing: hygiene, ergonomics (correct posture when lifting), and basic first aid for cuts, burns, and bruises.

Digital skills: save files with clear names, back up work, use spreadsheets for simple calculations (SUM, AVERAGE), and respect copyright when using images or text.

Presentation skills: structure (introduction, body, conclusion), clear visuals, eye contact, and timekeeping; cite sources used.