Iowa Assessments flashcards

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

Main idea

The central point that the whole passage supports. It is broad enough to cover every paragraph and is not a single supporting detail.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text plus common knowledge. The passage must support it, even if the text never states it directly.

Author's purpose

The reason a writer produces a text, usually to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain. The correct answer matches the effect of the whole passage.

Fact versus opinion

A fact can be checked or proven. An opinion expresses a judgment or feeling and often uses words like should, best, worst, or seems.

Context clue

A word or phrase near an unknown word that reveals its meaning. Common types are definition, example, contrast, and cause-effect clues.

Tone

The writer's attitude toward the subject, such as serious, humorous, critical, or admiring. It differs from mood, which is the reader's feeling.

Subject-verb agreement

A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Phrases between them do not change the verb form.

Pronoun case

The form a pronoun takes by its job. Use I, he, she, we for subjects and me, him, her, us for objects; use who for subjects and whom for objects.

Run-on sentence

Two independent clauses joined with no punctuation or with only a comma. Fix it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction.

Dangling modifier

A descriptive phrase that does not clearly attach to the word it describes. The sentence usually lacks the subject the modifier logically needs.

Parallel structure

Items joined by and, or, or in a list use the same grammatical form, such as all verbs or all nouns, so the sentence reads evenly.

Apostrophe rules

A singular possessive adds 's, as in girl's. A plural possessive adds only an apostrophe after the s, as in girls'. A plural noun never takes 's.

Area formulas

Rectangle area is length times width. Triangle area is one-half base times height. Circle area is pi times radius squared.

Circumference

The distance around a circle, found with the formula two times pi times the radius, or pi times the diameter.

Percent change

Subtract the old value from the new value, divide by the old value, then multiply by 100. A positive result is an increase.

Order of operations

Evaluate parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Slope

The steepness of a line, found as the change in y divided by the change in x between two points. In y = mx + b, it is m.

Mean, median, mode

Mean is the sum divided by the count. Median is the middle value when ordered. Mode is the value that appears most often.

Probability

The chance of an event, found as favorable outcomes divided by total outcomes. It always falls between 0 and 1.

Unit rate

A rate expressed per one unit, found by dividing. Once known, multiply it to scale up to any quantity.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the outcome of an experiment. It must be stated so that evidence could prove it wrong.

Independent variable

The factor the experimenter deliberately changes. The dependent variable is what gets measured in response to that change.

Plant versus animal cells

Plant cells have a cell wall and chloroplasts for making food. Animal cells lack both, but both cell types have a nucleus and a membrane.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make glucose, releasing oxygen as a byproduct.

States of matter

Solids have fixed shape and volume. Liquids have fixed volume but take the container's shape. Gases have neither fixed shape nor volume.

Newton's laws

Objects resist changes in motion, force equals mass times acceleration, and every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Water cycle

Water evaporates, condenses into clouds, falls as precipitation, and collects in bodies of water. The sun supplies the energy.

Food chain

Energy flows from producers to consumers to decomposers. Less energy remains at each higher level, so top predators are fewer.

Three branches

The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets them. Each branch checks the others.

First Amendment

Part of the Bill of Rights, it protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.

Latitude and longitude

Latitude lines run east-west and measure distance north or south of the equator. Longitude lines measure east or west of the prime meridian.

Supply and demand

When demand rises and supply stays fixed, price rises. When supply rises and demand stays fixed, price falls.

Push and pull factors

Push factors drive people away from a place, such as war or famine. Pull factors attract them, such as jobs or safety.