ORT Main Test key terms

A letter or symbol standing in for an unknown or changing number in an expression or equation, so that one statement can describe many numerical cases at once.

The numerical factor multiplied by a variable in a term, such as the 4 in 4x or the −3 in −3xy; it scales the size and sign of the variable's value.

An equation in which every variable appears to the first power only, so its solutions form a straight line when graphed on a coordinate plane.

A statement comparing two expressions with a symbol such as <, ≤, > or ≥, describing a whole range of possible values rather than one fixed solution.

A small raised number showing how many times a base is multiplied by itself, as in 2³ = 2 × 2 × 2; powers follow fixed rules when multiplied or divided.

The agreed sequence for evaluating an expression: brackets first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.

The distance of a number from zero on the number line, always non-negative and written with vertical bars, so that both |−7| and |7| equal 7.

The amount of two-dimensional space enclosed by a shape, measured in square units such as cm² and calculated with a different formula for each shape.

The amount of three-dimensional space a solid occupies, measured in cubic units and usually found by multiplying a base area by a height or depth.

In a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides: a² + b² = c².

Shapes with identical angles but different sizes, so every corresponding pair of sides is in the same ratio and lengths scale while angles stay unchanged.

The number by which every length of a figure is multiplied to produce a similar figure; areas change by its square and volumes by its cube.

Changing a measurement from one unit to another, such as metres to centimetres, by multiplying by a ratio that equals one so the value stays the same.

The arithmetic average, found by adding all values and dividing by how many there are; it is pulled upward or downward strongly by extreme values.

The middle value of a data set arranged in order; with an even count it is the average of the two central values, and extreme values barely affect it.

The difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set, giving a quick but crude measure of how spread out the data are.

A measure of how steeply a straight line rises or falls, calculated as the change in the vertical value divided by the change in the horizontal value.

A relationship whose graph is a straight line and whose output changes by a constant amount for every one-unit increase in the input.

Solving problems by comparing quantities through constant ratios, for example scaling a recipe or converting currency, where doubling one quantity doubles the other.

A graph plotting one point for each pair of values on two axes, used to reveal whether two quantities are related and how strongly.

The central point a passage is built to communicate, usually stated in a topic sentence or implied through the details an author chooses to include.

A conclusion a reader draws by combining evidence from the text with general knowledge, even though the author never states that conclusion directly.

The attitude an author conveys towards the subject or the reader, created by word choice and detectable as ironic, urgent, mournful, detached and so on.

A sentence, usually near the start of an essay, that states the central claim the rest of the text will support with reasons and evidence.

Restating a passage's meaning in your own words while keeping the original's level of detail, in contrast to a summary, which shortens it.

The reason a text was written, such as to persuade, inform, entertain or warn, which shapes what evidence and what structure the writer chooses.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number, so a singular subject takes a singular verb even when other words sit between them.

A descriptive phrase at the start of a sentence that fails to attach to the noun it describes, producing an unintended or absurd meaning.

The requirement that a pronoun match the number and gender of the noun it refers back to, so a plural noun takes a plural pronoun.

Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or a pair, which makes the sentence easier to read and signals that the items are equal.

The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning, which is why cheap and affordable describe the same price so differently.

Joining two complete sentences with only a comma; a full stop, a semicolon or a conjunction alongside the comma is needed instead.

A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another without using like or as, transferring qualities to suggest a similarity.

A brief, unexplained reference to a well-known person, work, event or myth, which assumes the reader shares that body of cultural knowledge.

A gap between what is said or expected and what is actually meant or what actually happens, ranging from sarcasm to a twist of fate.

The use of an object, place or action to stand for a larger abstract idea, such as a journey representing personal growth or change.

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first-person narration by a character or third-person narration from an observer outside the action.

The underlying idea about life or human nature that a literary work explores, developed through characters and events rather than stated outright.