Chiba Entrance English flashcards

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

Inference question rule

The answer must be logically entailed by the text; choices that need outside facts or that use absolutes like always, never or only are typically wrong.

Pronoun referent test

Replace the pronoun with each candidate and check number, gender and logic; bare 'this' usually points to the whole preceding clause rather than to one noun.

Contrast signal words

However, although, whereas, nevertheless, in spite of and yet mark a turn; the author's real claim usually sits in the main clause, not in the concession.

Vocabulary in context method

Insert each option into the original sentence and test grammar plus surrounding contrast; the most familiar dictionary sense is frequently the distractor rather than the answer.

Main idea question strategy

Skip it on the first pass, answer the detail questions to build a passage map, then choose the option covering the whole text rather than one paragraph.

EXCEPT and NOT stems

Three options are explicitly stated in the passage; the answer is the one that is unstated or contradicted, so mark the stem before reading the choices.

Opinion essay frame

Introduction gives a thesis with position plus two reasons; each body paragraph develops one reason with an example; the conclusion restates the thesis without adding new arguments.

Data description opener

Begin with the overall trend in one sentence, then give the highest and lowest figures, then one contrast; never list every number from the chart.

Formal register prohibitions

Avoid contractions, second-person 'you', 'a lot of', rhetorical questions and slang; use 'many', 'considerable' and full verb forms instead throughout the essay.

Body paragraph formula

Write a claim sentence, then evidence or an example, then a closing sentence linking back to the thesis; keep one controlling idea per paragraph.

Word count allocation

Divide the target roughly as 20 percent introduction, 65 percent body and 15 percent conclusion, and leave two minutes for proofreading agreement and plurals.

Number of versus a number of

'The number of students is' takes a singular verb, while 'a number of students are' takes a plural verb; the article changes the agreement rule.

Despite versus although

'Although' and 'though' are followed by a clause with subject and verb; 'despite' and 'in spite of' are followed by a noun or a gerund.

Must have done

This modal plus perfect expresses strong certainty about a past event; 'should have done' expresses criticism or regret, and 'cannot have done' expresses impossibility.

Affect versus effect

'Affect' is normally a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is normally a noun meaning a result, as in 'have an effect on the readers'.

Since and for with perfect

Use the present perfect with 'for' plus a duration and with 'since' plus a starting point; use the past simple with 'ago' and finished dates.

Result in versus result from

'Result in' introduces the consequence, while 'result from' introduces the cause, so the subject of 'result from' is the effect, not the cause.

Revised information distractor

The first figure or name you hear is often corrected later with 'actually' or 'sorry'; write down only the final version that the speaker confirms.

Signpost phrase listening

Phrases such as 'the thing is', 'what I mean is' and 'to be honest' usually come immediately before the information a question asks about.

Chart completion preparation

Before the audio starts, note the part of speech and unit each blank needs, then listen for that word class instead of trying to catch every word.

Numbers and units check

Record the unit as you hear it, such as percent, yen or per thousand, and confirm whether the figure is a total, a rate or a change.

Speaker attitude cues

Adjectives and hedges reveal stance: 'I suppose', 'sort of' and 'frankly' signal doubt, reluctance or emphasis that main-idea and attitude options test.

Summary length rule

Compress the source to roughly one third, keeping the main claim plus one or two key supporting facts and omitting examples, repetition and asides.

No new information rule

A summary must contain only ideas present in the source; adding your own opinion or outside facts loses marks no matter how accurate those additions are.

Scanning for figures

Locate the question keyword first, then read the number together with its row label, column heading, unit and year; wrong options often use a neighbouring cell.

Paraphrase by structure shift

Change word class or voice instead of swapping synonyms one by one: turn a clause into a noun phrase or an active verb into a passive.

Trend plus magnitude

Describe charts with a trend verb and an adverb of degree: 'rose sharply', 'declined slightly' or 'remained almost flat between 2010 and 2020'.

Given-new principle

Start each sentence with information the reader already has and place the new or focal information at the end, where it connects to the next sentence.

Sentence insertion test

Check that the inserted sentence connects backwards through a pronoun or repeated word and forwards through a shared term; both links must work.

Cohesion versus coherence

Cohesion is surface linking through pronouns and connectives, while coherence is the logical consistency of ideas; a text can be cohesive yet incoherent.

Connective categories

Classify each linker before choosing: addition (moreover), contrast (however), cause (therefore), example (for instance), concession (admittedly) and sequence (subsequently).

Irrelevant sentence task

The sentence to delete shares no key term with the paragraph topic, and once it is removed the remaining sentences still link to each other.