PSLE RME key terms

The value a digit has because of the position it occupies in a number. In 4 582, the 5 stands for five hundreds, or 500.

A way of writing a number as the sum of the values of its digits, such as 3 000 + 400 + 60 + 2 for 3 462.

Any one of the ten symbols 0 to 9 used to build numbers. A numeral such as 708 contains three digits.

A whole number that divides another number exactly, leaving no remainder. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number. The multiples of 5 include 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on.

A whole number greater than 1 with exactly two factors: 1 and itself. Examples are 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11.

A whole number greater than 1 that has more than two factors, so it can be divided by numbers other than 1 and itself, like 9 or 15.

The smallest number that is a multiple of two or more given numbers. For 4 and 6 the lowest common multiple is 12.

The largest number that divides two or more given numbers exactly. For 18 and 24 the highest common factor is 6.

A number that names part of a whole or part of a group, written as one number over another. In 3/4 the whole is split into four equal parts.

The top number of a fraction. It tells how many equal parts are being counted or described.

The bottom number of a fraction. It tells into how many equal parts the whole has been divided.

Fractions that look different but name the same amount, such as 1/2, 2/4 and 5/10. Multiplying or dividing top and bottom by the same number makes them.

A number written using a point to show parts smaller than one whole, such as 2.75, which means two wholes and seventy-five hundredths.

A fraction or amount expressed out of 100, shown with the % sign. So 45% means 45 out of every 100.

A comparison of two or more amounts by how many times one contains the other. A ratio of 3 : 2 means three parts to every two parts.

A single value that stands for a set of numbers, found by adding them and dividing the total by how many there are.

The total distance all the way around the outside edge of a shape, measured in units such as centimetres.

The amount of flat surface a shape covers, measured in square units such as square centimetres.

The amount of space a solid object takes up, measured in cubic units such as cubic centimetres.

The amount of turning between two straight lines that meet at a point, measured in degrees. A right angle is 90 degrees.

The quality a shape has when it can be folded along a line so that the two halves match exactly.

A naming word for a person, place, thing or idea, such as teacher, Gaborone, book or kindness.

A word that shows an action or a state of being, such as run, eat, is or seem. Every full sentence needs one.

A describing word that gives more information about a noun, such as tall tree, three goats or happy child.

A word that describes how, when or where something happens, often adding to a verb, as in ran quickly or arrived late.

A short word used instead of a noun, such as he, she, it, they or them, so that names need not be repeated.

The form of a verb that shows when an action happens: past, present or future, as in walked, walk and will walk.

The person or thing in a sentence that does the action or is being described. In 'The dog barked', the dog is the subject.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as big and large or begin and start.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as hot and cold or early and late.

The marks used in writing, such as full stops, commas, question marks and capital letters, to make meaning clear.

A group of words that expresses a complete idea and has a subject and a verb, beginning with a capital letter.

A group of sentences about one main idea, usually starting on a new line and often indented.

Reading a passage carefully and understanding it well enough to answer questions about its meaning, details and ideas.

A conclusion you reach by using clues in a text together with what you already know, even though it is not stated directly.

Setswana word for a verb: a word showing what someone or something does, such as 'ja' (eat) or 'tsamaya' (walk).

Setswana word for a noun: a naming word for a person, place or thing, such as 'motho' (person) or 'ntlo' (house).

Setswana word for greetings: polite words used when meeting or parting, such as 'Dumela' and 'Tsamaya sentle'.

Setswana word for reasons or causes. In comprehension answers it asks you to explain why something happened.

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food, releasing oxygen.

The green substance in leaves that traps light energy so the plant can make food during photosynthesis.

The process in living things that releases energy from food, usually using oxygen and producing carbon dioxide and water.

The natural place where a plant or animal lives and finds the food, water and shelter it needs.

The order in which living things feed on one another, showing how energy passes from plants to animals.

The change of a liquid into a gas, which happens at the surface when the liquid is warmed.

The change of a gas into a liquid when it is cooled, such as water vapour forming drops on a cold surface.

A push or a pull that can start, stop, speed up, slow down or change the direction of an object's movement.

A force that acts between surfaces rubbing together and slows movement down, producing heat.

A complete closed path that electricity can flow around, usually made of wires, a battery and a bulb or other component.

A material that lets heat or electricity pass through it easily, such as copper or steel.

A material that does not let heat or electricity pass through easily, such as rubber, plastic or wood.