PSLE RME flashcards

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

Place value

The value a digit has because of its position in a number. Each position is ten times the value of the position to its right, so in 5 236 the 2 means 200.

Highest common factor

The largest whole number that divides exactly into two or more given numbers. For 12 and 18 the factors shared are 1, 2, 3 and 6, so the highest common factor is 6.

Equivalent fractions

Fractions that name the same amount even though the numbers differ. Multiplying or dividing the numerator and denominator by the same non-zero number keeps the value unchanged, so 1/2 equals 3/6.

Percentage of a quantity

A percentage is a fraction out of one hundred. To find 15% of 240, convert to 0.15 and multiply: 0.15 × 240 = 36. To find the whole, divide the part by the decimal.

Area of a triangle

Half the base multiplied by the perpendicular height, written as ½ × base × height. A triangle with base 10 cm and height 6 cm has an area of 30 cm².

Volume of a cuboid

Length × width × height, given in cubic units. A box 5 cm by 4 cm by 2 cm holds 40 cm³, which equals 40 millilitres since 1 cm³ is 1 ml.

Mean average

The total of all the values divided by how many values there are. The mean of 4, 7 and 10 is 21 ÷ 3 = 7. The mean can lie between the smallest and largest values.

Ratio sharing

Dividing a quantity in a given ratio. Add the parts, divide the total by that number of parts, then multiply by each term. Share 60 in the ratio 2:3 gives 24 and 36.

Speed formula

Speed equals distance divided by time. A car covering 150 km in 3 hours travels at 50 km/h. Rearranged, distance = speed × time and time = distance ÷ speed.

Angle sum of a triangle

The three interior angles of any triangle add up to 180 degrees. If two angles are 65° and 40°, the third angle is 180 − 105 = 75 degrees.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb must match its subject in number. A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb, so we write 'the boy runs' but 'the boys run'.

Present perfect tense

Formed with has or have plus the past participle. It describes a past action connected to the present, as in 'She has finished her homework', meaning it is done now.

Reported speech

When repeating someone's words indirectly, tenses usually shift back one step and pronouns and time words change. 'I am tired today' becomes 'He said he was tired that day'.

Passive voice

A sentence pattern where the object of the action becomes the subject, formed with a form of 'be' plus the past participle. 'The chef cooked the meal' becomes 'The meal was cooked by the chef'.

Apostrophe for possession

An apostrophe plus s shows that something belongs to someone. For a singular noun write 'the girl's coat'; for a plural noun ending in s put the apostrophe after it: 'the girls' coats'.

Question tag

A short question added to the end of a statement. A positive statement takes a negative tag and a negative statement takes a positive tag, always repeating the auxiliary verb: 'You can swim, can't you?'

Inference in comprehension

A conclusion drawn from clues in a passage rather than from a directly stated fact. A good inference is always supported by evidence quoted or paraphrased from the text.

Homophones

Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, such as 'their', 'there' and 'they're', or 'to', 'too' and 'two'. Choose by meaning and grammar role.

Noun classes in Setswana

Setswana groups nouns into classes according to their prefixes, and each class controls the concords used with verbs, adjectives and pronouns. Class 1 'motho' takes 'o', class 2 'batho' takes 'ba'.

Subject concord

The prefix attached to a verb that agrees with the subject noun class. 'Mosadi o a ja' means the woman eats, while 'basadi ba a ja' means the women eat.

Negative present tense

Formed with 'ga' plus the subject concord and a verb ending in -e. 'Ga ke bone' means 'I do not see' and 'Ga a tsamaye' means 'He or she does not walk'.

Future tense marker

The particle 'tla' placed after the subject concord signals future action. 'Ke tla ya' means 'I will go' and 'Re tla ithuta' means 'We will learn'.

Possessive concord

Setswana shows possession with a concord that agrees with the possessed noun, not the owner. 'Buka ya me' means my book and 'bana ba rona' means our children.

Question words in Setswana

Interrogatives used to ask for information: 'eng' asks what, 'mang' asks who, 'leng' asks when, 'kae' asks where, and 'jang' asks how. They often appear at the end of a sentence.

Setswana proverb function

Proverbs are fixed expressions carrying accepted wisdom, used to advise or warn rather than to state literal facts. Their meaning must be learned as a whole, not word by word.

Plant versus animal cells

Plant cells have a rigid cellulose cell wall, chloroplasts for photosynthesis and a large permanent vacuole. Animal cells lack a cell wall and chloroplasts and have no large vacuole.

Photosynthesis

The process in chloroplasts where green plants use light energy to combine carbon dioxide and water into glucose, releasing oxygen. Chlorophyll absorbs the light needed for this reaction.

Aerobic respiration

The release of energy from glucose using oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water. It happens mainly in mitochondria and supplies energy for all life processes in the cell.

Food chain

A diagram showing energy transfer from a producer to consumers. Arrows point from the organism being eaten to the eater, so a plant eaten by a rabbit is written plant → rabbit.

States of matter

Solids keep a fixed shape and volume, liquids keep a fixed volume but take the shape of their container, and gases spread to fill any container. Heating can change the state.

Weight versus mass

Mass is the amount of matter measured in kilograms and does not change with location. Weight is the pull of gravity on that mass, measured in newtons, and equals mass × 10 N/kg on Earth.

Series and parallel circuits

In a series circuit components form one path, so the same current flows through all and one break stops everything. In a parallel circuit each branch has its own path, so components work independently.