GACE English (713) flashcards

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

Main idea

The central claim a passage develops and supports throughout. It is broader than any single detail and must account for the whole text rather than one paragraph.

Valid inference

A conclusion that follows necessarily from stated evidence plus common knowledge. If an answer choice requires assumptions the passage never supplies, the inference is invalid.

Text structure

The organizational pattern of a passage, such as cause-effect, comparison-contrast, chronological sequence, problem-solution, or description. Signal words reveal which pattern governs the passage.

Author's purpose

The reason a writer produces a text: to inform, persuade, entertain, describe, or explain. Purpose differs from tone, which is the writer's attitude toward the subject.

Context clue types

Surrounding text that reveals a word's meaning: definition, synonym restatement, contrast or antonym, example, and cause-effect. Substituting a choice back into the sentence tests accuracy.

Paired passage relationship

How two passages treat one topic: agreement, extension, or contradiction. Correct answers name both authors' positions and the specific point of convergence or conflict.

Fact versus reasoned judgment

A fact is verifiable; an opinion is a bare preference; a reasoned judgment is debatable but supported by stated criteria and evidence, making it the strongest evaluative claim.

Evaluating evidence

Evidence supports a claim only when it is relevant, sufficient, and credible. Anecdotes and emotional appeals may illustrate but cannot logically establish a general conclusion.

Plot arc

The sequence exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. The climax is the turning point of highest tension or decisive choice, not merely the busiest scene.

Conflict types

Person against person, self, nature, society, or fate. Internal conflict appears through soliloquy, interior monologue, or free indirect discourse revealing a character's divided mind.

Direct versus indirect characterization

Direct characterization states traits outright; indirect reveals them through speech, action, appearance, thoughts, and others' reactions. Indirect demands the reader infer the trait.

Round versus flat character

A round character is complex and capable of change or contradiction; a flat character embodies one trait and mainly advances plot or provides contrast.

Narrative point of view

First person is limited and biased; third limited enters one consciousness; omniscient accesses many minds and may editorialize; objective reports behavior without interior access.

Simile and metaphor

A simile compares using like or as; a metaphor identifies one thing as another without such markers. Both assert similarity, while personification grants human traits to nonhuman things.

Synecdoche and metonymy

Synecdoche substitutes a part for the whole or whole for part (wheels for car); metonymy substitutes an associated entity for the concept (the crown for monarchy).

Blank verse versus free verse

Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter with regular meter; free verse lacks fixed meter and rhyme. Both are distinct from prose poetry by line arrangement.

Theme

A complete statement about a subject that the whole work implies, such as ambition corrupts. A single word names the subject, not the theme, and must be expanded.

Three types of irony

Verbal irony means the opposite of what is said; situational irony reverses expectation; dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows what a character does not.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Repair with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction; a conjunctive adverb requires a semicolon before it.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement

A pronoun must match its antecedent in number and person. Indefinite pronouns such as each, everyone, and neither are singular; collective nouns are singular when acting as one unit.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb matches the true subject, ignoring intervening prepositional phrases. Compound subjects with and are plural; with or or nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Dangling modifier

An introductory participial phrase must describe the sentence's grammatical subject. If the subject cannot perform the action, the modifier dangles and the sentence needs revision.

Parallel structure

Items in a series, paired constructions like not only...but also, and lists after a colon must share grammatical form, such as all gerunds or all infinitive phrases.

Verb tense consistency

Maintain one base tense. Use past perfect only for the earlier of two past events, and present tense for universal truths and for events inside a literary work.

Colon and semicolon use

A colon follows an independent clause to introduce a list or explanation; a semicolon joins related independent clauses or separates complex series items containing internal commas.

Argumentative essay structure

A defensible thesis, body paragraphs each with one claim plus integrated evidence, commentary linking evidence to claim, and a conclusion stating significance rather than repeating the introduction.

Collaborative discussion moves

Productive moves include paraphrasing a peer's point, building on it with evidence, and questioning an assumption. Interrupting or dismissing a speaker undermines shared inquiry.

Active listening indicators

Restating the speaker's main idea, asking clarifying questions, and referencing earlier speakers by name or content. These behaviors demonstrate comprehension rather than mere silence.

Socratic seminar norms

Participants cite the text, address peers rather than only the teacher, critique ideas rather than people, and allow wait time after questions so others can think and respond.

Presentation organization

An attention-getter, a clear thesis or purpose, a signposted body using transitions, audience-appropriate register, and a conclusion that summarizes and issues a call to action.

Delivery variables

Pace, volume, articulation, eye contact, purposeful gesture, and filler-word control. Rate and volume are adjusted to room size, audience, and content difficulty.

Logical fallacies

Common reasoning errors include ad hominem, false dilemma, slippery slope, hasty generalization, and appeal to authority. Naming the flaw lets a listener rebut the argument precisely.

Media literacy evaluation

Judge a source by author, sponsor, date, and purpose. Distinguish primary from secondary sources and detect loaded language, selective statistics, and missing context.