CJBAT flashcards

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

Main idea question

The central point the passage is mostly about. The correct answer covers the whole passage rather than one supporting detail, example, or side remark.

Inference in reading

A conclusion the passage forces but does not state directly. It must follow from the text and cannot depend on outside knowledge or personal opinion.

Scope words in choices

Words such as all, always, never, and only that make a statement absolute. They usually mark an incorrect answer unless the passage uses the same word.

Contrast signal words

Words such as however, although, but, and yet that mark a shift in the passage. The clause after the signal usually carries the author's main point or qualification.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Repair it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as and or but.

Dangling modifier

An introductory phrase that does not describe the noun immediately after the comma. Rewrite so the doer of the action becomes the subject of the main clause.

Parallel structure

Items in a list, or on both sides of and, or, not only...but also, must share the same grammatical form, such as all nouns or all gerunds.

Semicolon use

Joins two independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates list items that already contain commas. It never joins a clause to a fragment.

Chunking

Grouping separate items into a few meaningful units, typically three to five, so that more information fits within short-term memory span.

Serial position effect

Recall is best for items at the beginning, called primacy, and at the end, called recency. Items in the middle of a list are remembered least well.

Method of loci

A mnemonic that places each item to be remembered at a distinct location along a familiar route, then retrieves them by mentally walking that route.

Problem sensitivity

The ability to recognize that something is wrong, or may become a problem, before it is obvious, and to judge whether action is required.

Observation versus inference

Observation records what was directly seen or heard. Inference is the interpretation added afterward. Reports should keep these two clearly separated.

Escalation trigger

A condition requiring immediate notification rather than routine handling, usually involving safety, injury, weapons, minors, or a repeating pattern of behavior.

Modus ponens

A valid argument form: if P then Q, and P is true, then Q must be true. The antecedent is affirmed, so the consequent necessarily follows.

Modus tollens

A valid argument form: if P then Q, and Q is false, then P must be false. Denying the consequent disproves the antecedent.

Affirming the consequent

An invalid form: if P then Q, and Q is true, concluding P. Other causes could make Q true, so the conclusion does not necessarily follow.

Contrapositive

The statement 'if not Q then not P' is logically equivalent to 'if P then Q'. The converse, 'if Q then P', is not equivalent.

Arithmetic sequence

A series with a constant difference between consecutive terms. Find the next term by adding that same difference to the last given term.

Geometric sequence

A series in which each term is multiplied by a constant factor. Find the next term by multiplying the last given term by that factor.

Counterexample

A single case that contradicts a proposed general rule. One valid counterexample is enough to show that the generalization is false.

Letter series shortcut

Convert letters to numbers using A=1 through Z=26, find the numeric pattern, then convert back. This exposes differences that letters alone hide.

Transitivity of order

If A must come before B and B must come before C, then A must come before C. Use this to place items that are never directly compared.

Procedure ordering rule

A step that produces the input another step requires must come first. Dependencies, not personal preference, set the sequence of steps.

Tie-breaker key

When two items share the same rank or time, a stated secondary rule such as alphabetical order or the lower ID number decides which comes first.

Compass turn rule

A right turn is 90 degrees clockwise and a left turn is 90 degrees counterclockwise. Two right turns reverse the heading; four restore it.

Opposite compass pairs

North and south are opposite, as are east and west, northeast and southwest, and northwest and southeast. Moving one way then the opposite cancels out.

Heading arithmetic

Track direction as degrees clockwise from north. Add degrees for right turns, subtract for left turns, then adjust the result into the range 0 to 360.

Mental rotation

Imagining an object turned about an axis. Shape, size, and angles stay the same while orientation changes. Mirrors change handedness; rotations do not.

Cube opposite faces

In a cube net, faces separated by exactly one square in a straight line end up opposite each other after folding and never share an edge.

Paper fold layer count

Each fold doubles the number of layers in the folded region. A hole punched through all layers appears once per layer when the paper is unfolded.

Transformation order

Rotating then mirroring gives a different result from mirroring then rotating, so combined transformations must be applied in the order stated.