LAFD FCA key terms

The ability to read a passage and correctly identify its main idea, supporting details, implied meaning, and the author's purpose. Tested by answering questions without relying on outside knowledge.

The central point a passage or paragraph is built around. Often stated in a topic sentence, but sometimes must be summarized from details rather than quoted directly.

A fact, example, statistic, or reason that backs up a passage's main idea. Detail questions ask you to locate or distinguish these from unrelated statements.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text that is not stated outright. Valid inferences must be logically supported by the passage, not merely plausible in real life.

A sentence, usually early in a paragraph, that announces what the paragraph will cover. Recognizing it speeds up locating the main idea and skimming for answers.

A quick note-taking method in which you jot a few words per paragraph to mark its topic and function. It lets you return to relevant text fast when answering detail questions.

Reading rapidly for overall structure and gist rather than every word. Useful for a first pass over long passages before questions direct you to specific lines.

Searching text quickly for a specific word, number, name, or date. Unlike skimming, you know exactly what target you are hunting for before you start.

The ability to hear spoken material once and retain its key points, instructions, or sequence. Tested through audio passages followed by questions about what was said.

Paying deliberate attention to a speaker's words, tone, and structure while mentally organizing them. It improves retention of details and reduces missed instructions during audio sections.

Recording abbreviated keywords, numbers, and sequences while reading or listening. Good notes capture relationships and quantities, not full sentences, so they stay fast to review.

An answer choice that looks correct but contains a subtle flaw such as a wrong quantity, reversed cause, or detail true of a different part of the passage. Eliminating these raises accuracy.

Removing answer choices you can prove wrong, then choosing among what remains. It converts hard questions into smaller decisions and reduces the pull of plausible-sounding wrong answers.

A word such as all, always, never, some, or usually that limits or expands a statement's scope. Extreme qualifiers often signal a false answer choice; cautious ones are frequently correct.

An unstated belief a conclusion depends on. Identifying assumptions helps you judge whether an argument holds together or rests on something the passage never established.

A stated reason or piece of evidence offered in support of a conclusion. Separating premises from conclusions is the first step in evaluating any argument.

The claim an argument is trying to establish. It is what the premises are offered to support, and it may appear at the start, middle, or end of a passage.

A relationship in which one event produces another. Reasoning questions often test whether a stated cause truly explains the effect or merely coincides with it.

Two things occurring together without proof that one causes the other. Mistaking correlation for causation is a common flaw tested in reasoning sections.

Arranging steps, events, or items according to a rule such as sequence, size, or priority. These questions require tracking constraints and checking each condition against the arrangement.

A rule that limits possible arrangements or answers, such as 'B must come before C' or 'the two red items cannot be adjacent.' Every valid solution must satisfy all constraints at once.

Placing items or events in a required order based on stated rules. A reliable method is to draw slots and fill them with the most restricted element first.

A comparison question in the form 'A is to B as C is to __,' testing recognition of the relationship between pairs. Name the relationship precisely before choosing an answer.

Identifying a repeating rule in a series of numbers, letters, or shapes and using it to predict the next item. Check for alternating, cumulative, or multiplicative rules when a simple difference fails.

A list of numbers generated by a rule, with the next value to be found. Common rules include constant differences, changing differences, multipliers, and alternating sub-series.

A sequence in which each term increases or decreases by a fixed amount, such as 4, 7, 10, 13. The constant step is the key to predicting later terms.

The value a digit holds based on its position in a number, such as hundreds or tenths. Errors here cause mistakes in regrouping, rounding, and decimal alignment.

Replacing a number with a nearby value of specified precision, based on the digit to the right. Used to estimate answers quickly and to check whether a computed result is reasonable.

Approximating a calculation to judge the likely size of an answer. It is the fastest way to reject answer choices that are off by a factor of ten or more.

The standard rule for evaluating expressions: parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. Ignoring it produces wrong answers on multi-step items.

A number expressed as one quantity divided by another, such as 3/8. Operations require a common denominator for addition and subtraction, and inversion for division.

A number written using place value to the right of a point, such as 2.75. Align points vertically when adding or subtracting, and count places when multiplying or dividing.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred, used for rates, discounts, and increases. To find a percent of a number, convert the percent to a decimal and multiply.

A ratio compares two quantities; a proportion states that two ratios are equal. Cross-multiplication solves proportion problems such as scaling a recipe or a map distance.

A ratio expressed per single unit, such as miles per hour or cost per gallon. Finding the unit rate simplifies comparisons between different-sized packages or trips.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. To find a missing value, multiply the average by the count and subtract the known values.

Converting a sentence describing a real situation into an arithmetic expression or equation. Identify the unknown, assign it a symbol, and match each phrase to an operation.

The speed at which a person absorbs new information and applies it to unfamiliar problems. Tested by giving study material followed by questions that require using it immediately.

The limited mental workspace that holds information briefly while it is being used. Chunking material and writing key points down reduces overload during timed learning sections.

Applying a rule or procedure learned in one example to a new but similar situation. Questions on this measure whether you grasped the underlying principle rather than memorized a case.