EJU key terms

The reading-comprehension section of the Japanese test, requiring candidates to extract main ideas, compare opinions, and follow argument structure in academic and essay-style passages under time pressure.

The listening-comprehension section, where candidates hear conversations or monologues once and must answer questions on content, intent, or speaker relationships without replaying the audio.

An integrated listening-and-reading task in which candidates hear audio while looking at printed options such as charts, diagrams, or maps, then choose the figure that matches what was said.

The writing section, requiring a short structured essay on a given topic; candidates are graded on whether they address the question, organize reasons and examples, and use appropriate academic Japanese.

Chinese-derived characters whose readings and meanings candidates must recognize; the exam tests both recognition in context and correct usage within sentences, including common academic compounds.

Vocabulary knowledge tested through fill-in-the-blank items; candidates must choose the word that fits the sentence's meaning and collocation, not merely a word with a similar dictionary gloss.

Grammar items testing particles, verb forms, tense-aspect, and sentence patterns; questions often ask which form makes a sentence grammatical and natural rather than just understandable.

Conjunctions such as however, therefore, and moreover that signal logical relations between sentences; recognizing them is essential for mapping argument flow in reading and for organizing essays.

Signal words and repeated content words that mark a passage's topic and the author's claim; locating them quickly helps candidates answer main-idea questions within the time limit.

The Japanese honorific system of respectful, humble, and polite forms; candidates must recognize when a speaker uses honorifics to show social distance or deference in listening and reading passages.

The SI unit for amount of substance, defined as containing exactly 6.02214076×10²³ elementary entities; it links mass, particle count, and gas volume in stoichiometric calculations.

The number of elementary entities in one mole, 6.02214076×10²³ per mole; it converts between particle counts and amounts of substance in chemistry calculations.

The amount of solute in moles divided by the volume of solution in liters, expressed in mol/L; used in titration, dilution, and equilibrium calculations.

The reaction between an acid and a base producing salt and water; the equivalence point depends on the stoichiometric ratio of hydrogen and hydroxide ions, not simply equal volumes.

A logarithmic scale of hydrogen-ion concentration, defined as the negative base-10 logarithm of the hydrogen-ion molarity; lower values indicate acidity, and neutral water is about 7 at 25 °C.

The separation of a dissolved substance into ions in solution; the degree of ionization determines whether an acid or base is strong or weak and affects conductivity and pH.

A paired process in which one species loses electrons (oxidation) while another gains them (reduction); oxidation numbers track electron transfer and help balance reaction equations.

A device converting chemical energy into electrical energy through spontaneous redox reactions; the electromotive force depends on the electrode potentials of the two half-cells.

Motion under gravity alone, with negligible air resistance; near Earth's surface the acceleration is about 9.8 m/s² downward, independent of mass, and velocity increases linearly with time.

Newton's second law written as F = ma, stating that net force equals mass times acceleration; it is the basis for analyzing motion under constant or variable forces.

The sum of kinetic and potential energy in a system; when only conservative forces act, this total stays constant, allowing speed and height to be related without tracking time.

The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy, using carbon dioxide and water to produce organic compounds and release oxygen.

The basic structural and functional unit of living organisms; the exam tests organelle functions, differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and processes such as mitosis.

The transmission of traits from parents to offspring through genes; problems often involve Mendelian ratios, alleles, and predicting offspring genotypes from given crosses.

The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates that move over the asthenosphere; their interactions explain earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain building, and the distribution of continents.

Ground shaking caused by sudden release of accumulated strain along faults; the exam tests the relationship between P and S wave arrival times and distance to the epicenter.

A fracture in rock along which displacement has occurred; the type of fault (normal, reverse, strike-slip) reflects the stress regime and helps explain local seismic and topographic features.

The market model in which price adjusts until quantity demanded equals quantity supplied; shifts in either curve change equilibrium price and quantity in predictable directions.

The price at which quantity demanded equals quantity supplied, clearing the market; above it a surplus appears, below it a shortage, pushing price back toward equilibrium.

A measure of how much quantity demanded responds to a change in price, calculated as percentage change in quantity divided by percentage change in price; demand is elastic when this exceeds one in magnitude.

The value of the best alternative forgone when a choice is made; it underlies comparative advantage and explains gains from specialization and trade.

The ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another producer; it explains why mutually beneficial trade is possible even when one party is absolutely less productive in everything.

The total market value of final goods and services produced within a country's borders in a given period; it excludes intermediate goods and counts only domestic production regardless of ownership.

A sustained rise in the general price level, reducing the purchasing power of money; it can result from demand pressure or cost increases and is often measured by consumer price indices.

Central-bank actions managing money supply and interest rates to influence inflation and output; lowering rates tends to stimulate borrowing and spending, while raising them cools the economy.

Government use of taxation and public spending to influence the economy; expansionary policy increases spending or cuts taxes, while contractionary policy does the reverse.

The division of state authority into legislative, executive, and judicial branches that check one another; it is a core principle in modern democratic constitutions.

Rights held by all people regardless of status, such as freedom of expression and equality before the law; constitutions protect them, and courts may review laws that infringe them.

A function of the form y = ax² + bx + c with a ≠ 0; its graph is a parabola whose vertex, axis, and intercepts are found by completing the square or using the discriminant.

For ax² + bx + c = 0, the value b² − 4ac; its sign tells whether the equation has two distinct real roots, one repeated root, or no real roots.

Rewriting a quadratic expression as a(x − p)² + q to reveal the vertex (p, q) and the range of the function; it also underlies the quadratic formula.

Ratios of sides in a right triangle-sine, cosine, and tangent-used to relate angles and lengths; the exam tests their values at standard angles and applications to distances and heights.

In a triangle with sides a, b, c opposite angles A, B, C, the ratio a/sin A = b/sin B = c/sin C equals twice the circumradius; used to find unknown sides or angles.

The relation c² = a² + b² − 2ab cos C in a triangle; it finds a side from two sides and the included angle, or an angle from all three sides.

Techniques for counting arrangements and selections, including permutations and combinations; problems often require distinguishing ordered from unordered choices and handling restrictions.

An ordered arrangement of items; the number of ways to arrange r items chosen from n distinct items is n!/(n − r)!, used when order matters in counting problems.

A number between 0 and 1 expressing how likely an event is, often computed as favorable outcomes divided by equally likely total outcomes; the exam tests independent and conditional events.

The process of finding a function's instantaneous rate of change; the derivative gives slope of the tangent and is used for maxima, minima, and motion analysis.

The reverse of differentiation, used to find areas under curves and accumulated quantities; definite integrals evaluate area between a curve and the x-axis over an interval.

The value a function or sequence approaches as the input approaches a point or infinity; it is the foundation for defining both derivatives and definite integrals.