SLE Reading flashcards

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

Main idea

The central point an entire passage is built to support: the topic plus the author's controlling claim about it. It must be broad enough to cover every paragraph yet narrow enough to exclude unrelated general truths.

Too-broad distractor

An answer choice that states something generally true but not specifically argued in the passage. It fails because the passage does not develop or support that wider claim, even though the statement itself is accurate.

Thesis sentence

The sentence that states the passage's central claim, often near the end of the introduction. Supporting paragraphs develop or defend it, and the conclusion may restate it in different words.

Topic vs. main idea

Topic is what the passage is about, expressible as a word or phrase. Main idea is what the author asserts about that topic, expressible as a full sentence with a claim.

Explicit detail

Information stated directly in the passage, requiring no added reasoning. The correct answer paraphrases the text; wrong answers alter scope, quantities, sequence, or attribution of who said or did what.

Scope words

Qualifiers such as all, only, never, first, and primarily that limit a statement's range. A choice containing a scope word is false if the passage shows even one exception.

EXCEPT question strategy

In 'all of the following except' items, three choices are supported by the text and one is not. Verify each choice against the passage rather than selecting the first statement that seems true.

Paraphrase vs. copied wording

Correct detail answers usually restate the text in different words. Choices that copy exact wording from an unrelated sentence are often traps that misattribute or distort the original meaning.

Valid inference

A conclusion that must be true given the passage plus common knowledge. If the conclusion is merely possible or plausible, it is not supported strongly enough to be the credited answer.

Minimal assumption

The smallest unstated link needed to move from evidence to conclusion. Stronger inferences require fewer or smaller assumptions, so compare choices by how much they add beyond the text.

Attitude inference

An implied stance detected through word choice, qualifiers, and punctuation rather than explicit statements. Words like 'unfortunately' or 'surprisingly' reveal the author's evaluation of the subject.

Beyond-the-text choice

A distractor that predicts future events, asserts absolute claims, or supplies causes the passage never links. It may be reasonable in general but lacks textual support.

Contextual meaning

A word's meaning as fixed by its surrounding sentence, which may differ from its most common dictionary sense. Substitute each choice into the original sentence and reread to test fit.

Connotation

The emotional or evaluative shading a word carries beyond its literal meaning. 'Thrifty' and 'stingy' share a denotation but differ in tone, so the choice must match the author's attitude.

Appositive clue

A phrase set off by commas, dashes, or parentheses that restates or defines a nearby term. It often supplies the meaning of an unfamiliar word directly within the same sentence.

Antecedent identification

Finding the noun a pronoun refers to. The correct antecedent must be grammatically consistent with the pronoun and fit the sentence's logic, not merely be the nearest preceding noun.

Contrast signal

A word such as but, although, yet, or however that reverses expectation. It tells the reader the next idea opposes the previous one, which helps infer word meaning and structure.

Cause-effect structure

An organization presenting reasons and their results, signaled by because, therefore, thus, and as a result. Structure questions ask how ideas relate, not what the ideas say.

Paragraph function

The role a paragraph plays in the argument: introducing the claim, supporting it with evidence, conceding a point, rebutting an objection, or transitioning between sections.

Sentence insertion

A task requiring placement of a sentence into a passage. Test fit by checking pronoun references and transition words in both the preceding and following sentences.

Cohesion

The linking of sentences through transitions, pronouns, and repeated key terms. A sentence that breaks the pronoun chain or repeats a term awkwardly does not belong in that position.

Author's purpose

The author's goal in writing, expressed as a verb phrase such as to persuade, to explain, to criticize, or to warn. It differs from the topic, which answers what the text is about.

Tone

The author's emotional stance toward the subject, conveyed through word choice and phrasing. Precise labels matter: cautionary differs from alarmed, and objective differs from indifferent.

Hedging language

Qualifiers such as may, suggests, tends to, and often that soften a claim and signal a cautious tone. Their absence, replaced by always and proves, signals a forceful stance.

Concession and rebuttal

A pattern in which the author grants an opposing point with words like granted or admittedly, then limits it with but. The concession signals fairness; the rebuttal reveals the author's true position.

Unstated assumption

A premise the argument needs but does not state, linking evidence to conclusion. Identifying it is the key step in evaluating whether an argument is strong, weak, or flawed.

Correlation vs. causation

Two events occurring together does not prove one causes the other. Arguments inferring cause from co-occurrence are vulnerable to alternative explanations and to reverse causation.

Weaken the argument

To reduce support for a conclusion by undermining its evidence, exposing a flawed assumption, or offering a plausible alternative explanation that fits the same facts.

Necessary vs. sufficient

A necessary condition must hold for the outcome; a sufficient condition guarantees it. 'If A then B' does not license 'if B then A', a frequent reversed-condition error.

Representative sample

A subset that mirrors the population it stands for in relevant respects. Generalizations are weak when the sample is small, self-selected, or drawn from a narrow group.

Circular reasoning

An argument that assumes what it sets out to prove, restating the conclusion as its own evidence. The premise adds no independent support, so the argument fails to establish anything.

False dilemma

A flaw that presents only two options when others exist, forcing a choice between extremes. Recognizing it requires checking whether the passage acknowledges middle positions or alternatives.