ISEE Verbal Reasoning flashcards

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

Synonym question strategy

Cover the answer choices, predict a word for the stem, then choose the option closest in meaning. Eliminate choices that are too narrow, too broad, or wrong in charge.

Contrast signal words

Words such as although, despite, yet, and rather than signal that the blank opposes the clue in the sentence. They reverse the direction of meaning.

Appositive definition clue

A phrase set off by commas or dashes that restates a nearby word. In sentence completion, the appositive often defines the blank directly.

Analogy bridge sentence

A short sentence linking the stem pair, such as 'a puppy is a young dog.' Test each answer choice by substituting it into the same sentence.

Part-to-whole analogy

A relationship in which one term is a component of the other, as a page is part of a book. Direction matters; whole-to-part is the reverse.

Word charge method

Label the sentence clue positive, negative, or neutral, then eliminate answer choices carrying the opposite charge before comparing fine shades of meaning.

Column comparison rule

Add or subtract the same quantity from both columns to simplify. Multiplying or dividing by a negative number reverses which column is larger.

Percent change formula

Percent change equals the difference between new and old values, divided by the old value, times one hundred. Increases and decreases use the same formula.

Combined work rates

When two workers complete a job in times a and b, add their rates: 1/a plus 1/b per unit time. The combined time is the reciprocal of that sum.

Arithmetic mean identity

The mean equals the sum divided by the count. Rearranged, the sum equals the mean times the count, which finds missing totals or values.

Independent event probability

For independent events, the probability both occur is the product of their individual probabilities. For mutually exclusive events, add the probabilities instead.

Testing unknowns in columns

When a column holds a variable, substitute zero, a positive fraction, and a negative number. One case that changes the comparison makes the answer undetermined.

Main idea versus detail

The main idea is the author's central claim about the whole passage. A supporting detail may be true yet cover only one paragraph, so it answers a different question.

Inference question standard

The correct inference must be forced by the passage text. A choice that is merely plausible in real life, without textual support, is incorrect.

Vocabulary in context

Substitute each answer choice into the original sentence and reread. The correct meaning matches the passage's usage, not the most common dictionary definition.

Tone from word choice

Attitude questions are answered by the author's adjectives, verbs, and punctuation. A qualified or mixed tone differs from outright enthusiasm or disapproval.

EXCEPT question method

Three choices are supported by the passage and one is not. Locate lines for each supported choice and eliminate it; the remaining option answers the question.

Extreme wording trap

Choices using always, never, all, or none rarely match a passage's qualified claims. Hedged choices such as some or often are more frequently supported.

Order of operations

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

Dividing by a fraction

Dividing by a fraction equals multiplying by its reciprocal. For example, a/b divided by c/d equals a/b multiplied by d/c.

Slope formula

Slope equals the change in y divided by the change in x between two points. In y = mx + b, m is the slope and b the y-intercept.

Perpendicular slope relationship

Two nonvertical lines are perpendicular when their slopes are negative reciprocals, so the product of the slopes equals negative one.

Pythagorean theorem

In a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two legs equals the square of the hypotenuse: a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

Exponent product rule

When multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents. When raising a power to a power, multiply the exponents.

Median of a data set

Arrange the values in order from least to greatest. The median is the middle value, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even.

Trapezoid area formula

The area of a trapezoid equals one half the sum of the parallel bases multiplied by the height: one half times (b1 plus b2) times h.

Essay thesis requirement

A scored essay states one clear position on the assigned issue in the introduction and defends it throughout, rather than surveying both sides without commitment.

Body paragraph structure

Each body paragraph presents one reason for the thesis, supports it with a specific example, and explains how that example proves the point.

Counterargument rebuttal

A strong essay acknowledges the best opposing view in a paragraph, then explains why the stated position remains stronger despite that objection.

Transitional words in essays

Words such as first, moreover, however, and therefore link sentences and show whether the next idea continues, contrasts, or concludes the reasoning.

Essay proofreading window

Reserve the final few minutes of the writing period to reread for grammar, subject-verb agreement, and spelling, since mechanical errors lower the score.

Staying on topic

An essay must address the assigned prompt directly. Off-topic writing or illegible handwriting scores at the bottom regardless of length or vocabulary.