HSPT flashcards
HSPT · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Analogy bridge sentence
- A short sentence linking the stem pair (e.g., 'A glove covers a hand'). The correct answer must satisfy the same sentence with the same relationship type.
- Part-to-whole analogy
- A relationship where one term is a component of the other, such as wheel to car or petal to flower. Answers must preserve the direction of the relationship.
- Antonym elimination strategy
- On antonym questions, first cross out any choice that means the same as the stem word, then select the remaining choice with the most opposite meaning.
- Word classification rule
- A correct group shares one property that every other option lacks. Test each candidate group against all four options before deciding.
- Common meaning-changing prefixes
- un-, in-, im-, dis-, non-, anti-, and mis- reverse or negate a root's meaning, so 'inaudible' means not able to be heard.
- Percent change formula
- Percent change equals (new value minus old value) divided by the old value, times 100. A decrease produces a negative result.
- Combined work rate
- If one worker finishes in a hours and another in b hours, together they finish in ab divided by (a + b) hours.
- Average speed, equal distances
- For two equal-distance legs at speeds x and y, average speed is 2xy divided by (x + y), not the simple average of x and y.
- Ratio share formula
- For a ratio a:b with total T, the first share equals a divided by (a + b), multiplied by T.
- Missing value from mean
- The sum of all values equals the mean times the count. A missing value equals the target sum minus the sum of known values.
- Main idea versus detail
- The main idea covers the whole passage; a detail is true but limited to one part. Detail choices are wrong on main-idea questions.
- Valid inference test
- An inference must be forced by the text. If a reasonable reader could disagree given the passage, the choice is too strong.
- Vocabulary in context method
- Substitute each answer choice into the original sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's meaning, not the dictionary's first sense.
- Overstatement answer signals
- Words like all, never, always, only, and must usually mark incorrect answer choices because they exceed what the passage supports.
- Author's purpose verbs
- Purpose is described with verbs such as persuade, inform, entertain, describe, or compare. The passage's structure reveals which verb fits.
- Order of operations
- Evaluate parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.
- Dividing fractions
- To divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal: a/b divided by c/d equals a/b times d/c.
- Triangle and quadrilateral angles
- The interior angles of any triangle sum to 180 degrees; the interior angles of any quadrilateral sum to 360 degrees.
- Circle area and circumference
- Area equals pi times radius squared; circumference equals 2 times pi times radius, or pi times diameter.
- Median of an ordered list
- Arrange values from least to greatest. The median is the middle value, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even.
- Subject-verb agreement rule
- A verb agrees with its subject, not with a noun in a phrase between them. 'The box of tools is heavy' uses a singular verb.
- Its versus it's
- 'Its' shows possession, as in 'the dog wagged its tail.' 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.'
- Run-on sentence fixes
- Join two independent clauses with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or so.
- Dangling modifier rule
- The noun immediately following an introductory phrase must be the one performing the described action; otherwise the modifier dangles.
- Comparative versus superlative
- Use -er or more for comparing two items; use -est or most for three or more. 'Better' compares two; 'best' compares three or more.
- Comma in a series
- Separate three or more items in a list with commas, and set off introductory phrases from the main clause with a comma.
- If-then logic rule
- 'If P then Q' rules out P occurring with not-Q. It does not rule out Q occurring without P, so that inference is invalid.
- Chaining ordering clues
- Convert each clue into an inequality such as A before B, then link the inequalities into one chain to find positions that are forced.
- Figure transformation analysis
- Compare figures for rotation, reflection, size change, or shading. Apply the identical transformation, tracking orientation separately from position.
- Constraint elimination method
- Remove every option that violates a stated rule, then choose among the survivors. This is more reliable than judging each option as a whole.
- Chunking for memory items
- Group information into units of three or four items rather than rehearsing one item at a time, which increases how much can be held.
- Number-series rule testing
- Check differences first, then ratios, then alternating patterns. A rule is valid only if it fits every given term, not just the last two.