CDCR Correctional Officer Written Selection Exam key terms

The most important point a paragraph or passage makes about its topic. It may be stated outright in a topic sentence or left for the reader to assemble from the details.

A specific fact, example, reason, or description that explains or backs up a passage's main idea. Details answer who, what, when, where, and why questions about the central point.

A conclusion a reader reaches by combining what the text states with ordinary background knowledge. The idea is not written directly but is strongly suggested by the evidence given.

A short restatement of a passage's key points in your own words, leaving out minor details and repeated examples. A good summary keeps the original's meaning and emphasis without copying its wording.

Words, phrases, or examples near an unfamiliar word that help a reader work out its meaning. Clues may restate the idea, contrast it, or show how the word is used in the situation.

A sentence that expresses a belief, judgment, or feeling rather than something provable. Words such as should, best, seems, or unfairly often signal that a statement is opinion rather than fact.

The sentence, usually placed first in a paragraph, that names the paragraph's central point and signals what the following sentences will explain or support.

The attitude a writer takes toward the subject, such as neutral, urgent, sympathetic, or critical. Word choice and which details the writer includes or omits create that attitude.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb, even when words sit between them.

The rule that a pronoun must match the noun it stands for in number and gender. A singular antecedent such as each officer requires a singular pronoun such as his or her.

A group of words capitalized and punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone.

Two or more complete sentences joined with no punctuation or connecting word at all. The reader cannot tell where one idea ends and the next begins.

A specific error in which two complete sentences are joined by only a comma. It needs a period, a semicolon, or a conjunction such as and or because.

A descriptive phrase that does not clearly attach to the word it is meant to describe, so the sentence seems to say something illogical or unintended.

Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or comparison, such as all verbs or all noun phrases, so the sentence reads smoothly and logically.

Sentence construction in which the subject performs the action, as in the officer wrote the report. Active voice is usually clearer and more direct than passive voice.

One of two or more words that sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning, such as their and there, or to, too, and two. Choosing the wrong one is a common spelling error.

Keeping verbs in the same tense, or in a logically connected tense, within a sentence or passage. Shifting tense without reason confuses the reader about when events happened.

A ratio that compares a number to one hundred. Twenty-five percent means twenty-five out of every hundred, which can also be written as the decimal 0.25 or the fraction one fourth.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written with a colon or the word to, showing how much of one thing exists relative to another.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal. Proportions are used to solve scaling problems, such as finding a distance on a map or adjusting a recipe or staffing level.

A rate expressed per single unit of measure, such as miles per hour or cost per item. You find it by dividing one quantity by the other.

The arithmetic average of a set of values, found by adding all the values and dividing the sum by how many values there are.

The agreed sequence for evaluating a math expression: parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Replacing a number with a nearby value that has fewer digits. If the next digit is five or higher you round up; if it is four or lower you keep the digit as it is.

A statement offered as evidence or a reason inside an argument. Premises are the support that is supposed to justify accepting the argument's conclusion.

A belief that an argument depends on but never states outright. A conclusion fails if its hidden assumption is false, so identifying assumptions is central to judging reasoning.

Reasoning that moves from general rules to a specific conclusion. When the premises are true and the logic is valid, the conclusion must be true.

Reasoning that moves from specific observations to a broad general conclusion. The conclusion is only probable, because a future case could contradict the pattern observed so far.

A recognizable pattern of flawed reasoning, such as attacking the person instead of the argument or appealing to popularity, that makes a conclusion unreliable even if it sounds convincing.

A statement in if-then form, naming a condition and the result that follows from it, such as if the door is locked then the inmate cannot enter through it.

Giving full attention to a speaker, noticing both the content and the feeling behind the words, and confirming understanding by restating or asking clarifying questions.

Techniques such as calm speech, steady eye contact, lowered voice, and giving physical space that reduce tension before a confrontation turns into violence.

The formal line of authority through which orders and information travel in an organization. Following it means reporting to your direct supervisor rather than skipping levels.

The duty to keep sensitive information private and share it only with people who have a legitimate need to know it for official purposes.

Understanding and acknowledging what another person is feeling, without necessarily agreeing with or excusing that person's behavior.

The judgment to choose among lawful responses in a situation, weighing policy, safety, and fairness rather than applying one fixed reaction every time.