ATMA key terms

A conclusion drawn from stated evidence rather than stated outright. On verbal reasoning questions, the correct inference must follow necessarily from the passage, while tempting wrong options merely seem plausible or add outside assumptions.

An unstated idea the author must accept for the argument to work. Identifying assumptions lets you spot flaws and evaluate whether a conclusion is supported by the given premises.

A stated reason or piece of evidence offered in support of a conclusion. Distinguishing premises from the conclusion is the first step in analysing any argument-based question.

The main claim an argument tries to establish. It is usually signalled by words such as therefore, hence, or thus, and everything else in the passage exists to support it.

The central point that a whole passage is written to convey, broader than any single detail. Questions on main idea require summarising the passage rather than quoting one sentence from it.

The author's attitude toward the subject, such as critical, neutral, admiring, or sceptical. Tone is revealed through word choice and must be judged from the passage, not from your own opinion.

A word with an opposite meaning to a given word, such as scarce for abundant. Antonym questions test precision of vocabulary, so check the exact sense of the word before choosing.

A word with a meaning close to a given word, such as brief for concise. The best answer matches the word's meaning in the tested sense, not just its general area of meaning.

Information in the surrounding sentence that hints at a word's meaning, such as contrast words, examples, or definitions. Using context clues lets you resolve unfamiliar vocabulary without outside knowledge.

A relationship question pairing two words, where you must find a second pair with the same logical link, such as part to whole or cause to effect. State the relationship precisely before scanning options.

A question presenting sentences of a paragraph in scrambled order, which you must rearrange into a coherent sequence. Look for opening sentences, pronoun links, and connective words to fix the order.

The way sentences link together through pronouns, repeated words, and connectors so a paragraph reads as one unit. Strong cohesion signals the correct order in rearrangement questions.

A word or phrase such as however, therefore, or in addition that signals the logical relation between ideas. Connectors like although and nonetheless often decide the correct answer in sentence-completion and ordering tasks.

A sentence-completion question where one or more words are missing and must be supplied. Read the whole sentence for contrast or cause signals before testing each option.

A comparison of two quantities by division, written as a:b or as a fraction. Ratios scale together, so multiplying or dividing both parts by the same number keeps the ratio unchanged.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as a/b = c/d. Cross-multiplication solves proportions quickly and underlies many work, mixture, and scaling problems.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred, so 25% equals 25/100 or 0.25. Percentage change is computed as the change divided by the original value, multiplied by one hundred.

The sum of a set of values divided by the number of values, also called the arithmetic mean. If you know the average and the count, multiplying them gives the total.

An average in which each value counts in proportion to an assigned weight rather than equally. It is used for combined groups of different sizes and for mixture problems.

A shortcut method for finding the ratio in which two ingredients of different prices or concentrations must be mixed to give a target value. The differences from the target give the required ratio.

Interest calculated only on the original principal, using the formula principal times rate times time. It does not compound, so the interest earned each year stays constant.

Interest calculated on the principal plus previously accumulated interest, so the amount grows geometrically. The amount after n years is principal times one plus the rate raised to n.

A technique that first finds the value of one unit and then multiplies to get the required quantity. It converts most direct and inverse variation problems into simple multiplication.

Problems where workers or pipes complete a job at given rates, and you combine rates to find the total time. Working in rates per day, rather than days per job, makes the arithmetic straightforward.

The speed of one moving object as seen from another, found by adding speeds when moving in opposite directions and subtracting when moving in the same direction. It simplifies meeting and overtaking problems.

The relationship that distance equals speed multiplied by time, with consistent units. Rearranging it gives speed as distance over time and time as distance over speed.

An arrangement of items in which order matters, counted by n factorial or by nPr when only some items are chosen. Choosing a committee is a combination; assigning ranks is a permutation.

A selection of items in which order does not matter, counted by nCr. The count is always smaller than or equal to the corresponding permutation count for the same items.

The chance of an event, computed as favourable outcomes divided by total equally likely outcomes. Probabilities range from zero to one, and complementary events sum to one.

A deductive argument with two premises and a conclusion, often tested with statements about all, some, and no members of categories. Only conclusions that must be true in every case are valid.

A diagram using overlapping circles to show how sets relate, useful for testing whether a syllogistic conclusion necessarily follows. Overlap regions reveal whether a conclusion is possible or certain.

Reasoning from general rules to a specific, guaranteed conclusion. In deduction the conclusion must be true whenever the premises are true, unlike induction which only makes a conclusion probable.

A puzzle placing people around a line or circle subject to positional clues such as facing direction and adjacency. Drawing a rough layout and fixing one anchor person makes the constraints manageable.

A logic problem in which a set of entities must be assigned attributes under given conditions. Solving requires listing possibilities and eliminating those that violate any stated rule.

A stated condition that limits how entities can be arranged or assigned in a logic puzzle. Every valid solution must satisfy all constraints simultaneously, so one violated rule eliminates a case.

Puzzles that describe family links through statements or coded symbols and ask how two people are related. Drawing a small family tree as you read prevents confusion between generations.

A question type asking whether the given statements provide enough information to answer a question, without requiring the actual answer. Judge sufficiency of each statement alone and then of both together.

A sequence of numbers following a hidden rule, where you must find the next term or the odd one out. Test differences, ratios, squares, and alternating patterns in that order.

The skill of spotting the rule governing a sequence, figure, or set of data so the missing element can be predicted. It underlies series, coding, and odd-one-out questions in analytical reasoning.