HiSET Reading flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Main idea
- The central point a passage conveys about its topic, usually stated in the introduction or conclusion and supported by most of the details in the text.
- Inference
- A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text combined with the reader's prior knowledge, rather than stated directly by the author.
- Author's purpose
- The reason a writer produces a text - to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain - revealed by word choice, structure, and emphasis.
- Tone
- The author's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through diction and details; it is distinct from mood, which is the reader's emotional response.
- Text structure
- The organizational pattern of a passage, such as cause-effect, compare-contrast, chronological order, problem-solution, or simple description.
- Context clue
- Surrounding words, phrases, or sentences that help a reader determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word without using a dictionary.
- Bias
- A one-sided slant in a text shown by loaded language, omitted counterarguments, or selective presentation of facts that favors a particular view.
- Thesis statement
- A single sentence that states the main claim of an essay and previews the evidence or reasons the writer will use to support it.
- Topic sentence
- The sentence that introduces the main idea of a paragraph and connects that paragraph to the larger thesis of the essay.
- Transition word
- A word or phrase such as however, therefore, or for example that shows the logical relationship between ideas across sentences or paragraphs.
- Sentence fragment
- A group of words punctuated as a sentence that lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone.
- Run-on sentence
- Two or more independent clauses joined without a coordinating conjunction, semicolon, or period, producing incorrectly punctuated and confusing writing.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The rule that a verb must match its subject in number, so singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs.
- Comma splice
- An error in which two independent clauses are joined only by a comma, without a coordinating conjunction or other correct punctuation.
- Order of operations
- The sequence for evaluating expressions: parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.
- Percent change
- The difference between a new value and an original value, divided by the original value and then multiplied by 100 to give a percentage.
- Slope
- The steepness of a line, computed as the change in y divided by the change in x between any two points on that line.
- Mean
- The sum of all values in a data set divided by the number of values, commonly called the arithmetic average.
- Median
- The middle value of a data set ordered from least to greatest; with an even number of values, it is the mean of the two middle values.
- Probability
- The ratio of favorable outcomes to total possible outcomes, used when every outcome in the sample space is equally likely to occur.
- Area of a triangle
- One-half multiplied by the base multiplied by the height, where the height must be measured perpendicular to the chosen base.
- Independent variable
- The factor a scientist deliberately changes in an experiment; it is plotted on the x-axis of a graph showing the results.
- Dependent variable
- The factor measured in an experiment that responds to the independent variable; it is plotted on the y-axis of a graph.
- Control group
- The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment being tested, providing a baseline for comparison with the experimental group.
- Photosynthesis
- The process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and release oxygen as a byproduct.
- Newton's first law
- An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion at constant velocity unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
- pH scale
- A scale from 0 to 14 measuring hydrogen ion concentration, where values below 7 are acidic, 7 is neutral, and above 7 is basic.
- Primary source
- A document or artifact created by someone with direct knowledge of an event, such as a diary, letter, photograph, or eyewitness account.
- Secondary source
- An account that interprets or analyzes primary sources rather than witnessing events directly, such as a textbook, encyclopedia article, or history book.
- Checks and balances
- The constitutional system that allows each branch of government to limit the power of the other two branches and prevent any one from dominating.
- Federalism
- A system of government in which power is divided between a national government and state or regional governments, each with its own authority.
- Opportunity cost
- The value of the next best alternative that is given up whenever a person, business, or society makes an economic choice.