FCTC Written Test cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports it but cannot replace it. A choice that is true but narrow is a distractor.

Tone and purpose questions hinge on word choice: 'unfortunately', 'remarkably', and 'allegedly' signal attitude, not fact.

Inference must be forced by the text. If a choice requires outside knowledge or a guess, it is wrong even when plausible.

Scope words decide answers: all, most, some, none, always, never. Eliminate choices that widen or narrow the passage's claim.

Sequence questions: track time markers (before, after, meanwhile, subsequently) rather than paragraph order.

'EXCEPT' and 'NOT' questions: three choices are supported by the passage; the answer is the one with no textual basis.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option back into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's logic, not the most common dictionary sense.

Passages about procedures: the answer restates the stated condition or step order; watch for reversed cause and effect.

Subject-verb agreement: ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb. 'The list of names is' - the head noun 'list' controls the verb.

Collective nouns (crew, team, department) take a singular verb in American usage unless members act individually.

Pronoun case: after prepositions and after 'than' or 'as' in comparisons, use the subject form when a verb is implied ('taller than I [am]').

Comma splice: two independent clauses need a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).

Restrictive clauses take 'that' with no commas; nonrestrictive clauses take 'which' with commas. Commas change meaning.

Active voice: put the actor first. 'The captain ordered evacuation' beats 'Evacuation was ordered by the captain' in reports.

Parallel structure: items in a list share grammatical form - all nouns, all gerunds, or all infinitives, never mixed.

Incident reports: past tense, specific times and locations, objective language. Avoid speculation ('probably', 'seemed to') and blame.

Order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100. A 20% increase followed by a 20% decrease yields 96% of the original, not 100%.

Fractions: to add or subtract, find a common denominator; to divide, multiply by the reciprocal (a/b ÷ c/d = a/b × d/c).

Ratios and proportions: cross-multiply. If 3 nozzles flow 450 gpm, one flows 150 gpm, so 5 flow 750 gpm.

Rate problems: distance = rate × time, so time = distance ÷ rate. Convert units before dividing (minutes to hours).

Averages: sum ÷ count. To find a missing value, use total = mean × count, then subtract the known values.

Unit conversion: 1 gallon ≈ 3.785 liters, 1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 psi ≈ 6.895 kPa, 1 cubic foot ≈ 7.48 gallons.

Estimate first: round to one or two significant digits to eliminate answer choices, then compute exactly only if needed.

Lever classes: first class has the fulcrum between load and effort; second class has the load between them; third class has the effort between them.

Mechanical advantage of a lever = effort arm ÷ load arm. Longer effort arm means less force but more distance moved.

Pulleys: a single fixed pulley changes direction only (MA = 1). A movable pulley halves the effort; MA equals the number of supporting rope segments.

Gears in mesh turn in opposite directions; the smaller gear turns faster. Gear ratio = teeth on driven ÷ teeth on driver.

Inclined plane: less force is needed but it acts over a longer distance. Steeper ramp means more force, shorter distance.

Hydraulics: pressure is equal throughout a confined fluid (P = F ÷ A), so a larger piston area produces greater output force.

Thermal expansion: metals expand when heated; dissimilar metals expand at different rates, which is why bimetallic strips bend toward the lower-expansion side.

Friction opposes motion, converts work to heat, and increases with surface roughness and normal force; lubrication reduces it.

Mental rotation: track one distinctive feature (a notch, a label, a handle) through the rotation rather than the whole shape.

Mirror images reverse left and right but not top and bottom; a rotated shape is not a mirror image unless handedness changes.

Net folding: opposite faces of a cube never share an edge. Two faces separated by exactly one face in a strip end up opposite.

Paper folding and punching: unfold step by step in reverse order; each fold doubles the number of holes unless a hole lies on the fold line.

Map and plan reading: orient by a fixed reference (north arrow, building corner) before judging relative positions.

Block counting: count hidden blocks that must exist to support visible ones; the base layer is often larger than it appears.

Top, front, and side views must agree: a feature visible in the front view but absent in the top view is a thin vertical element.

Direction tracking: a 90° turn left or right changes heading by one compass quadrant; two opposite turns cancel.

Priority order in emergencies: life safety, then incident stabilization, then property conservation.

Chain of command: report problems to your immediate supervisor; bypass the chain only when delay would cause injury or death.

Conflict with a coworker: address the behavior privately and factually first; escalate to a supervisor only if unresolved.

Give and receive feedback using specific observed behavior and its impact, not character judgments.

Diversity and harassment: intent does not excuse impact; report harassment through the designated channel regardless of rank.

Team roles: a leader who delegates, confirms understanding, and closes the loop (brief-back) reduces errors in high-stress tasks.

When a member is impaired or unfit for duty, the correct action is to prevent them from working and notify a supervisor, not to cover for them.

Stress and fatigue: rotation, hydration, and peer check-ins are operational controls; admitting fatigue is a safety action, not weakness.

Fire tetrahedron: fuel, oxygen, heat, and an uninhibited chemical chain reaction. Remove any one and combustion stops.

Fire classes: A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C energized electrical, D combustible metals, K cooking oils. Match the extinguisher to the class.

PASS for extinguishers: Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side.

SCBA and PPE are the last line of defense; engineering and administrative controls come first in the hierarchy of controls.

Two-in/two-out: entry into an IDLH atmosphere requires at least two members inside and two outside, unless a known rescue is underway.

RACE for fire response: Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish or Evacuate.

Electrical safety: de-energize and lock out/tag out before work; treat downed lines as energized and keep clear.

Report every injury and near miss; near-miss data identifies hazards before they cause harm.

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports it but cannot replace it. A choice that is true but narrow is a distractor.

Tone and purpose questions hinge on word choice: 'unfortunately', 'remarkably', and 'allegedly' signal attitude, not fact.

Inference must be forced by the text. If a choice requires outside knowledge or a guess, it is wrong even when plausible.

Scope words decide answers: all, most, some, none, always, never. Eliminate choices that widen or narrow the passage's claim.

Sequence questions: track time markers (before, after, meanwhile, subsequently) rather than paragraph order.

'EXCEPT' and 'NOT' questions: three choices are supported by the passage; the answer is the one with no textual basis.

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option back into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's logic, not the most common dictionary sense.

Passages about procedures: the answer restates the stated condition or step order; watch for reversed cause and effect.

Subject-verb agreement: ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb. 'The list of names is' - the head noun 'list' controls the verb.

Collective nouns (crew, team, department) take a singular verb in American usage unless members act individually.

Pronoun case: after prepositions and after 'than' or 'as' in comparisons, use the subject form when a verb is implied ('taller than I [am]').

Comma splice: two independent clauses need a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).

Restrictive clauses take 'that' with no commas; nonrestrictive clauses take 'which' with commas. Commas change meaning.

Active voice: put the actor first. 'The captain ordered evacuation' beats 'Evacuation was ordered by the captain' in reports.

Parallel structure: items in a list share grammatical form - all nouns, all gerunds, or all infinitives, never mixed.

Incident reports: past tense, specific times and locations, objective language. Avoid speculation ('probably', 'seemed to') and blame.

Order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100. A 20% increase followed by a 20% decrease yields 96% of the original, not 100%.

Fractions: to add or subtract, find a common denominator; to divide, multiply by the reciprocal (a/b ÷ c/d = a/b × d/c).

Ratios and proportions: cross-multiply. If 3 nozzles flow 450 gpm, one flows 150 gpm, so 5 flow 750 gpm.

Rate problems: distance = rate × time, so time = distance ÷ rate. Convert units before dividing (minutes to hours).

Averages: sum ÷ count. To find a missing value, use total = mean × count, then subtract the known values.

Unit conversion: 1 gallon ≈ 3.785 liters, 1 inch = 2.54 cm, 1 psi ≈ 6.895 kPa, 1 cubic foot ≈ 7.48 gallons.

Estimate first: round to one or two significant digits to eliminate answer choices, then compute exactly only if needed.

Lever classes: first class has the fulcrum between load and effort; second class has the load between them; third class has the effort between them.

Mechanical advantage of a lever = effort arm ÷ load arm. Longer effort arm means less force but more distance moved.

Pulleys: a single fixed pulley changes direction only (MA = 1). A movable pulley halves the effort; MA equals the number of supporting rope segments.

Gears in mesh turn in opposite directions; the smaller gear turns faster. Gear ratio = teeth on driven ÷ teeth on driver.

Inclined plane: less force is needed but it acts over a longer distance. Steeper ramp means more force, shorter distance.

Hydraulics: pressure is equal throughout a confined fluid (P = F ÷ A), so a larger piston area produces greater output force.

Thermal expansion: metals expand when heated; dissimilar metals expand at different rates, which is why bimetallic strips bend toward the lower-expansion side.

Friction opposes motion, converts work to heat, and increases with surface roughness and normal force; lubrication reduces it.

Mental rotation: track one distinctive feature (a notch, a label, a handle) through the rotation rather than the whole shape.

Mirror images reverse left and right but not top and bottom; a rotated shape is not a mirror image unless handedness changes.

Net folding: opposite faces of a cube never share an edge. Two faces separated by exactly one face in a strip end up opposite.

Paper folding and punching: unfold step by step in reverse order; each fold doubles the number of holes unless a hole lies on the fold line.

Map and plan reading: orient by a fixed reference (north arrow, building corner) before judging relative positions.

Block counting: count hidden blocks that must exist to support visible ones; the base layer is often larger than it appears.

Top, front, and side views must agree: a feature visible in the front view but absent in the top view is a thin vertical element.

Direction tracking: a 90° turn left or right changes heading by one compass quadrant; two opposite turns cancel.

Priority order in emergencies: life safety, then incident stabilization, then property conservation.

Chain of command: report problems to your immediate supervisor; bypass the chain only when delay would cause injury or death.

Conflict with a coworker: address the behavior privately and factually first; escalate to a supervisor only if unresolved.

Give and receive feedback using specific observed behavior and its impact, not character judgments.

Diversity and harassment: intent does not excuse impact; report harassment through the designated channel regardless of rank.

Team roles: a leader who delegates, confirms understanding, and closes the loop (brief-back) reduces errors in high-stress tasks.

When a member is impaired or unfit for duty, the correct action is to prevent them from working and notify a supervisor, not to cover for them.

Stress and fatigue: rotation, hydration, and peer check-ins are operational controls; admitting fatigue is a safety action, not weakness.

Fire tetrahedron: fuel, oxygen, heat, and an uninhibited chemical chain reaction. Remove any one and combustion stops.

Fire classes: A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C energized electrical, D combustible metals, K cooking oils. Match the extinguisher to the class.

PASS for extinguishers: Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze the handle, Sweep side to side.

SCBA and PPE are the last line of defense; engineering and administrative controls come first in the hierarchy of controls.

Two-in/two-out: entry into an IDLH atmosphere requires at least two members inside and two outside, unless a known rescue is underway.

RACE for fire response: Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish or Evacuate.

Electrical safety: de-energize and lock out/tag out before work; treat downed lines as energized and keep clear.

Report every injury and near miss; near-miss data identifies hazards before they cause harm.