Cyprus Public Service A8 key terms

In standard logical usage this Greek quantifier asserts at least one instance, while leaving open whether every member also has the property.

A Greek conditional phrase introducing a necessary condition: an action described before it requires the condition that follows, without guaranteeing the action.

A Greek expression asserting both directions of an implication, so each stated condition is necessary and sufficient for the other under the exercise.

A Greek connector marking a contrast or reservation, often qualifying a preceding claim without automatically denying all of its content.

A counterexample showing why a universal or conditional claim fails: it meets the relevant condition while contradicting the claimed outcome.

A conclusion supported by the supplied information rather than by a preferred opinion, an unstated rule or an unrelated real-world belief.

The item in a group that does not share the feature linking the others. To find it, identify the rule the majority follow, then spot the single item that breaks that rule.

Sorting items into groups according to a shared feature such as meaning, function, or structure. In verbal questions you often name the category that unites several words and excludes one.

A comparison stating that one pair of items relates in the same way as another pair, often written A is to B as C is to D. You identify the link in the first pair, then apply it to the second.

The specific link between two items in a pair, such as part-to-whole, cause-to-effect, or worker-to-tool. Naming the relationship precisely is the key to completing or judging an analogy.

An ordered series in which each item follows a rule from the one before. In verbal series questions the rule may involve letters, alphabet position, or word patterns, and you predict the next item.

Finding the next item in an ordered list by working out the rule that generates it. You test the rule against several items to confirm it holds before choosing the answer.

A repeated or regular arrangement that lets you predict what comes next. Patterns may appear as repeating shapes, alternating letters, or recurring numerical steps within a sequence.

The numbered place a letter holds in the alphabet, with A as 1 and Z as 26. Converting letters to numbers makes it easier to spot steps and gaps in letter-based sequences.

A system in which words or letters are replaced by other symbols or letters according to a fixed rule. Decoding means reversing the rule to recover the original word.

Turning a shape around a fixed point by a set amount, such as a quarter turn. The shape keeps its size and form, but its orientation changes, which matters in figure series.

Flipping a shape across a line to produce a mirror image. The result looks like the original seen in a mirror, so left and right are swapped while size is unchanged.

Any change applied to a figure, such as rotation, reflection, or resizing. Recognising which transformation links one figure to the next is central to abstract reasoning questions.

The quality of a shape that looks unchanged when folded or turned in a certain way. A line of symmetry divides a figure into two matching halves that mirror each other.

A row of shapes that change step by step according to a rule, with the next shape to be chosen. The rule may involve rotation, added parts, shading, or a moving element.

The ability to picture shapes, positions, and movements in your mind and to judge how they relate. It underlies tasks such as mental rotation, folding, and matching views of an object.

A word that has the same meaning, or almost the same meaning, as another word. For example, 'begin' and 'start' are synonyms, so either could fit a sentence needing that sense.

A word whose meaning is the opposite of another word. For example, 'hot' is an antonym of 'cold', which helps when a question asks for the word most opposite in meaning.

The idea or thing a word stands for in a given sentence. The same word can carry different meanings depending on context, so the surrounding words decide which sense is intended.

A hint inside a sentence or passage that helps you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Clues may be a definition, an example, a contrast, or a cause-and-effect link nearby.

Small differences in intensity or tone between words that are close in meaning. 'Warm', 'hot' and 'scorching' all describe heat but differ in strength, so the best answer matches the exact degree.

Two words presented together whose connection you must describe or match. The pair may be linked by meaning, function, category, or a sequence such as before and after.

A task where one or more words are missing from a sentence and you choose the option that makes the whole sentence correct in grammar and meaning. All parts of the sentence must fit together.

Reaching a conclusion that must follow from the information given, without adding outside assumptions. If the premises are true and the reasoning is valid, the conclusion cannot be false.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the passage rather than stated outright. A sound inference is strongly supported by the text and does not go beyond what the words allow.