iTEP Academic-Core flashcards

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

Played once

Listening passages in the iTEP Academic-Core are heard a single time, so answers must be chosen during or immediately after playback without replay.

Paraphrase distractor rule

Incorrect listening options frequently repeat words heard verbatim, while the correct option restates the same idea in different words.

Question-audio order

Listening questions follow the sequence of the recording, so the information for each item appears after the information for the previous item.

Correction cue

Words such as actually or to be honest signal that the speaker is revising an earlier statement, making the later detail the correct answer.

Number correction trap

A speaker may state a time, price, or quantity and later change it; the final figure, not the first one heard, answers the question.

Speaker attitude

Tone words and stress reveal whether a speaker is doubtful, enthusiastic, or reluctant, which lecture-style items often ask about.

Main idea scope

A correct main-idea option must summarize the entire reading passage; an option true of only one paragraph is a detail distractor.

Vocabulary in context

To answer a word-meaning item, substitute each option into the original sentence and select the one preserving the passage's meaning.

Inference support

A valid inference answer must be logically required by the text; an option that is merely plausible in real life is incorrect.

Extreme wording signal

Options containing always, never, or all are usually wrong unless the passage explicitly makes such an absolute claim.

Pronoun reference test

For pronoun items, the antecedent must agree in number and gender and must make sense when substituted into the sentence.

Author purpose categories

Purpose questions are answered by identifying whether the passage narrates, explains, persuades, or compares, based on its overall structure.

Head-noun agreement

A verb agrees with the subject's head noun, not with a noun inside a prepositional phrase, as in the list of items is.

Present perfect markers

Present perfect (has or have plus past participle) pairs with for and since; simple past pairs with finished markers such as yesterday.

First conditional

A real future condition uses if plus present tense in the clause and will plus base verb in the result.

Second conditional

An unreal present condition uses if plus past tense and would plus base verb, as in if I had time, I would travel.

Third conditional

An unreal past condition uses if plus had plus past participle and would have plus past participle in the result.

Gerund after preposition

A verb following a preposition, or following verbs like enjoy, avoid, and suggest, takes the -ing gerund form rather than an infinitive.

Double comparative error

One-syllable adjectives form the comparative with -er and longer ones with more; combining both, as in more easier, is incorrect.

Passive formation

The passive is formed with the correct tense of be plus a past participle, and the active object becomes the new subject.

Relative pronoun choice

Use who for people, which for things, and where for places; the pronoun may be omitted only when it is the clause object.

Article decision rule

Use a or an for first mention, the for specific or previously mentioned nouns, and no article for general plural nouns.

Core writing scoring

Short writing responses are rated on grammar accuracy, vocabulary range, and how fully the response addresses the given prompt.

Off-topic penalty

A response that does not answer the prompt's specific question earns no content credit, however accurate its grammar may be.

Sentence variety rule

Strong responses mix simple sentences with at least one complex sentence built with because, although, or while.

Connector functions

Linking words signal relationships: however marks contrast, therefore marks result, and in addition marks an added point.

Fragment avoidance

Every sentence must contain both a subject and a finite verb; a dependent clause standing alone is a fragment error.

Prompt paraphrasing

Restating the prompt in your own words demonstrates vocabulary range, whereas copying prompt wording earns no vocabulary credit.

Top proofreading errors

The most frequent writing errors to check are subject-verb agreement, inconsistent verb tense, and missing plural -s endings.

Precise vocabulary

Replacing vague words like good, bad, and very with specific terms such as beneficial, harmful, and extremely raises the vocabulary score.

Detail versus main idea

Detail questions ask for a specific fact stated in the passage, while main-idea questions require a summary covering the whole text.

Listening main idea

For lecture-style listening items, the answer summarizes the speaker's overall point rather than a single supporting example.