Iran Konkur Languages flashcards

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

Main idea question

Asks for the passage's central claim. The correct option covers the entire text; options true of only one paragraph are details and therefore wrong.

Inference question

Requires one mandatory step beyond the stated text. Any option needing outside knowledge or extra assumptions is out of scope and should be rejected.

Vocabulary in context

Tests the meaning of a word as used in the passage. Substitute each option into the original sentence and keep the one preserving the logic and register.

EXCEPT question

Three options are explicitly supported by the text and one is not. Locate the supporting line for each option before choosing the unsupported one.

Tone and attitude

Determined by evaluative adjectives, modals, and hedges. Neutral reporting verbs signal objectivity; words like unfortunately or allegedly signal a stance.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb agrees with the head noun, not with an intervening prepositional phrase. Each, every, either, and neither take a singular verb.

Third conditional form

If + past perfect, would have + past participle. It describes an unreal past situation; inversion Had I known replaces If I had known.

Used to versus be used to

Used to + base verb means a past habit now ended. Be used to + -ing means be accustomed to something, and can occur in any tense.

Dependent prepositions

Fixed prepositions after certain words: interested in, capable of, responsible for, dependent on, similar to, comply with, consist of, regardless of.

Affect versus effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence. Effect is usually a noun meaning result; the verb effect means to bring about.

Relative pronoun rules

That never follows a comma or a preposition. Whose marks possession, where replaces a place adverbial, and which refers to things.

Cloze first pass

Read the whole passage ignoring gaps to fix topic, tense, and register. Register then decides formal versus informal word choices at each gap.

Noun-forming suffixes

-tion, -ment, -ness, -ity, -ance, and -ship turn verbs or adjectives into nouns, as in decision, movement, happiness, ability, and performance.

Assimilated negative prefix

In- changes to im- before p, b, m; to il- before l; to ir- before r. Examples are impossible, illegal, and irregular; un- and dis- stay unchanged.

Contrast connectors

However, nevertheless, whereas, and on the other hand join clauses. Despite and in spite of take a noun or -ing; although takes a full clause.

Parallelism in cloze

A blank joined by and or or must match the grammatical form of the parallel item, so a gerund pairs with a gerund and an infinitive with an infinitive.

False friends

Words that resemble English but differ in meaning, such as French actuellement (currently), German bekommen (to receive), and Spanish embarazada (pregnant).

Formal address forms

French vous, German Sie, Spanish usted, and Russian вы mark politeness and take distinct verb forms from the informal tu, du, tú, and ты.

French passé composé auxiliaries

Most verbs take avoir, but movement and change-of-state verbs such as aller, venir, partir, naître, and mourir take être and agree the participle with the subject.

German two-way prepositions

Prepositions such as in, an, and auf take the accusative when expressing motion toward a place and the dative when expressing location.

Spanish ser versus estar

Ser marks inherent traits, identity, and origin. Estar marks temporary states and location, as in está cansado versus es alto.

Italian articulated prepositions

Prepositions contract with the definite article: di + il becomes del, a + la becomes alla, in + il becomes nel. Learn the full table as fixed forms.

Valid syllogism form

All A are B and All B are C imply All A are C. Two negative premises, or two particular premises, never yield a valid universal conclusion.

Contrapositive equivalence

If P then Q is equivalent to If not Q then not P. The converse, If Q then P, is not equivalent and is a common trap in logic items.

Necessary versus sufficient

P is sufficient for Q when P implies Q. P is necessary for Q when Q implies P, equivalently when not P implies not Q.

Block in ordering puzzles

A clue such as A is immediately before B fixes a two-item block. Treat the block as one unit when counting or placing arrangements.

Successive percentage change

Changes of a percent then b percent give a net factor of (1 + a/100)(1 + b/100). The net result is not simply a + b percent.

Percentage points versus percent

A rise from 20% to 25% is 5 percentage points but a 25% relative increase, because the base for the relative change is the original 20%.

Combined work rate

Rates add, so combined time is 1/(1/a + 1/b). For two workers the shortcut is ab/(a + b), where a and b are individual times.

Average speed equal distances

For equal distances travelled at speeds u and v, average speed is 2uv/(u + v), which is the harmonic mean, not the arithmetic mean.

Mixture replacement formula

After removing and refilling with water n times, pure liquid left equals initial amount times (1 − removed/volume) raised to the power n.

HCF and LCM relation

For two positive integers, HCF × LCM equals the product of the two numbers. This lets you find one value from the other three.