GED RLA cheat sheet

Main idea = topic + the author's claim about it; it must cover the whole passage, while a detail covers only one part.

Test a candidate main idea by asking whether every paragraph supports it; if one paragraph does not, the statement is too narrow.

Inference is unstated but logically required: the answer follows from stated evidence, not from personal experience or outside knowledge.

Words that shift logic - but, however, although, yet, despite - usually mark the author's real point or a contrast the question will target.

Sequence questions: track time markers (first, then, after, finally) and causal markers (because, as a result, therefore) separately.

Tone words split into positive (approving, admiring), negative (critical, skeptical), and neutral (objective, analytical); extreme words like outrageous rarely fit GED answers.

For vocabulary-in-context, substitute each option into the sentence and keep only the one that preserves the passage's meaning, not the most common dictionary sense.

Paired-passage items: identify each author's claim first, then classify the relationship as agreement, partial disagreement, or direct opposition before choosing.

An argument needs a claim, evidence, and a warrant (the link explaining why the evidence supports the claim); a claim without evidence is an opinion.

Evidence types: fact/statistic, example, expert testimony, anecdote, and analogy - statistics and expert testimony generally carry more weight than a single anecdote.

A relevant piece of evidence bears directly on the claim; sufficient evidence is enough in amount; neither guarantees the claim is true.

Common flaws: hasty generalization (small sample), false cause (correlation treated as causation), false dilemma (only two options), ad hominem (attacking the person), and appeal to emotion.

To weaken an argument, show the evidence is unrepresentative, outdated, or explained by an alternative cause; to strengthen it, add independent confirming evidence.

Counterargument items: the author's rebuttal is the sentence answering the opposing view; the concession is where the author grants the other side a point.

When writing an argument, state the claim in the introduction or early body, support each reason with specific evidence, and address one counterpoint.

Transition logic: 'therefore/thus' introduces a conclusion, 'because/since' introduces a reason, 'for example' introduces illustration, 'however' introduces concession or contrast.

A complete sentence needs a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought; a fragment lacks one of these, and a run-on joins two independent clauses with no correct punctuation.

Fix run-ons three ways: period plus capital, semicolon between related clauses, or comma plus a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

A comma alone cannot join two independent clauses (comma splice); a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover) needs a semicolon before it and a comma after.

Subject-verb agreement: locate the true subject, ignore prepositional phrases between subject and verb, and treat indefinite pronouns (everyone, each, neither) as singular.

Pronoun case: use subject forms (I, he, she, they, who) for subjects and object forms (me, him, her, them, whom) after prepositions and as objects; 'between you and me' is correct.

Modifier placement: a descriptive phrase at the start of a sentence must modify the noun that immediately follows it, or the sentence has a dangling modifier.

Parallel structure: items in a list or comparison must share grammatical form - all nouns, all gerunds, or all infinitives, not a mix.

Punctuation of quotes and clauses: commas and periods go inside closing quotation marks; a colon must follow an independent clause; dashes set off emphasis or an aside.

Verb tense consistency: keep one tense unless time markers (before, after, by the time, since) require a shift; 'had' plus past participle marks the earlier of two past actions.