GSET flashcards

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

Analogy bridge sentence

A short sentence stating the relationship between the stem pair, such as 'a microscope magnifies a specimen.' The correct option pair must fit the same sentence in the same direction.

Sentence equivalence pair

On two-blank vocabulary items scored as one unit, the two correct choices produce sentences alike in meaning. Selecting near-synonyms that both fit the blank's grammar is the reliable strategy.

Contrast transition signals

Words such as although, despite, whereas, and nonetheless signal that the second clause reverses the first. They usually require a blank to take the opposite polarity from nearby content.

Word in context

A verbal item asking for the meaning a word carries in the sentence, not its most common dictionary sense. Substitute each option into the sentence to test fit.

Successive percent change

Two changes of a percent then b percent yield a net change of a + b + ab/100. A 20 percent rise then a 20 percent fall leaves a net 4 percent decrease, not zero.

Combined work rate

Rates add when workers act together. If A finishes a job in x hours and B in y hours, together they finish in xy/(x + y) hours.

Harmonic mean for average speed

For equal distances traveled at speeds r1 and r2, average speed equals 2r1r2/(r1 + r2). Using the arithmetic mean overstates the result.

Inclusion-exclusion principle

For two overlapping sets, the union size equals the sum of the set sizes minus the intersection size. For three sets, subtract pairwise overlaps and add back the triple overlap.

Compound interest formula

A = P(1 + r/n)^(nt), where P is principal, r the annual rate as a decimal, n compounding periods per year, and t years. Simple interest instead uses P(1 + rt).

Doubling time rule of 70

Dividing 70 by the annual growth rate in percent approximates the years needed to double a quantity. At 5 percent annual growth, doubling takes about 14 years.

Ratio multiplier method

Express ratio parts as multiples of a common k, such as 3k and 5k for a 3:5 ratio. Use the stated total or difference to solve for k.

Argument task target

The analytical writing argument essay critiques the reasoning, not the conclusion's truth. Name the unstated assumption and state what evidence would test it.

Post hoc fallacy

Assuming that because one event followed another, the first caused the second. It is a frequent flaw in arguments that cite timing as evidence of causation.

Alternative explanation flaw

An argument errs when a different cause could produce the same cited evidence. Demonstrating that possibility weakens the inference without introducing new data.

Hasty generalization

Drawing a broad conclusion from a sample that is too small or unrepresentative. Naming the sample's limits is usually the strongest attack on such an argument.

Qualified thesis

A position that concedes one limitation or opposing condition and then rebuts it. Fully one-sided essays typically score lower than qualified arguments.

Main idea versus topic

The topic is what a passage is about; the main idea is the claim the author makes about it. Correct main-idea answers cover the whole passage, not one paragraph.

Primary purpose verb

Purpose answers pair an active verb with an object, such as 'to reconcile two competing accounts.' A bare topic label does not answer a purpose question.

Necessary inference test

An inference answer must be true given the text, not merely plausible. If the passage permits the opposite, the option is wrong.

Attitude qualifiers

Words such as somewhat, arguably, and surprisingly reveal a hedged or critical stance. They distinguish a qualified authorial attitude from strict neutrality.

EXCEPT question strategy

Three options are supported by the passage and one is not. Verify each of the three against the text, then select the remaining unsupported option.

Recycled vocabulary distractor

A wrong answer that repeats words from the passage while reversing the logical relation. Matching vocabulary is not evidence of a correct choice.

Weighted average formula

Weighted average equals the sum of each value times its weight, divided by the sum of weights. It is required when group sizes differ.

Percentage points versus percent

A change from 20 percent to 25 percent is 5 percentage points but a 25 percent relative increase. Dividing the difference by the original gives the relative change.

Index number interpretation

An index of 120 against a base of 100 indicates a 20 percent increase from the base period. The index value is not itself a raw quantity.

Compound annual growth rate

CAGR equals (ending/beginning)^(1/years) − 1. It reports the steady yearly rate equivalent to total growth, unlike total change divided by years.

Composition versus magnitude

Stacked bars and pie charts show shares of a whole, not absolute values. Convert shares to raw numbers using the stated total before comparing categories.

Contrapositive validity

From 'if P then Q' only 'if not Q then not P' follows. Affirming the consequent or denying the antecedent yields an invalid inference.

Sufficient versus necessary

A sufficient condition guarantees the outcome; a necessary condition must hold for it. Confusing the two is a common flaw in conditional arguments.

Negation test for assumptions

Negate a candidate assumption. If the argument collapses under that negation, the choice is a required assumption; if it survives, the choice is not needed.

Weaken by alternative cause

An argument is weakened when another factor could explain the observed evidence. This attacks the inference without denying the stated facts.

Parallel reasoning abstraction

Reduce the original argument to symbolic form, such as P implies Q, Q, therefore P. Choose the option with the same structure and validity status.