LANTITE Literacy flashcards

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

Main idea question

Asks for the overall point of the whole passage. The correct option covers the entire text; distractors describe one paragraph, one example, or a supporting detail only.

Supporting detail question

Asks for a fact stated in the passage. Locate the relevant sentence using keywords from the stem, then choose the option that matches the text without added interpretation.

Inference question

Requires a conclusion the text strongly implies but does not state. The best answer needs only one logical step; answers requiring extra assumptions or background knowledge are wrong.

Vocabulary in context

Tests the meaning of a word as used in a specific sentence, not its most common dictionary sense. Substitute each option into the sentence to check fit.

Author purpose question

Asks why the writer produced the text, such as to persuade, inform, entertain, instruct or warn. Purpose is broader than the topic and is often signalled by the concluding sentence.

Tone question

Asks about the writer's attitude, for example critical, sympathetic, amused or neutral. Tone is identified from evaluative word choices, not from the subject matter alone.

Audience identification

Asks who the text is written for. Register, technical vocabulary, assumed background knowledge and direct address are the main clues to the intended readership.

Fact versus opinion

A fact can be verified by evidence; an opinion expresses judgement, evaluation or belief. Signal words such as 'should', 'best' and 'disappointing' usually mark opinion.

Text structure question

Asks how information is organised, such as cause and effect, problem and solution, comparison, chronological sequence or general statement followed by examples.

Cohesive devices

Words and phrases that link ideas across sentences, including pronouns, conjunctions, and connectives like 'however', 'therefore' and 'in contrast'. They signal logical relationships between clauses.

Pronoun reference

Determining which noun a pronoun such as 'it', 'they' or 'this' refers to. The referent is usually the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number and makes sense.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb must match its subject in number. Intervening phrases do not change the subject, so in 'the box of files was opened', the singular subject 'box' takes 'was'.

Tense consistency

A passage should maintain a consistent tense unless a time shift is signalled. Unmarked switching between past and present within one narrative is an error.

Apostrophe for possession

Singular possession takes apostrophe plus s ('the teacher's desk'); plural nouns ending in s take the apostrophe after the s ('the teachers' desks'). Pronouns such as 'its' take no apostrophe.

Its versus it's

'Its' is the possessive form with no apostrophe. 'It's' is always a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has' and can be tested by expanding the sentence.

Comma in a list

Items in a series are separated by commas, with no comma between the final two items unless needed to prevent misreading. Commas never separate a subject from its verb.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. It is corrected with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as 'and' or 'but'.

Sentence fragment

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but lacking a subject, a finite verb, or a complete thought, such as 'Because the bus was late.' It must be joined to a main clause.

Run-on sentence

Two or more independent clauses run together without adequate punctuation or a conjunction. Repair by adding a full stop, semicolon or coordinating conjunction.

Dangling modifier

An introductory phrase whose implied subject does not match the subject of the main clause, as in 'Walking home, the rain started.' Rewrite so the doer of the action is the subject.

Parallel structure

Items in a list or comparison must share the same grammatical form, for example all infinitives or all nouns. Mixed forms such as 'swimming, cycling and to run' break parallelism.

Active versus passive voice

Active voice places the doer first ('the council approved the plan'); passive voice foregrounds the action or receiver ('the plan was approved'). Passive is appropriate when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Formal register

Language suited to official or academic writing: no contractions or slang, precise vocabulary, impersonal tone, and complete sentences. Informal register suits personal and promotional texts.

Nominalisation

Turning verbs or adjectives into nouns, as in 'decide' becoming 'decision'. It compresses information and is common in reports, but overuse makes writing abstract and hard to read.

Modality

The strength of a statement, expressed through modal verbs and adverbs. 'Must' and 'certainly' are high modality; 'might' and 'possibly' are low modality and hedge a claim.

Persuasive techniques

Devices used to influence readers, including emotive language, rhetorical questions, statistics, expert testimony, appeals to fairness or fear, and inclusive pronouns such as 'we' and 'our'.

Bias and loaded language

Word choice that carries evaluation beyond the facts, such as 'regime' versus 'government' or 'slim' versus 'skinny'. Loaded terms reveal the writer's stance.

Procedure text

A text that instructs how to do something, structured as goal, materials and sequenced steps. Steps use imperative verbs and are ordered chronologically.

Explanation versus procedure

An explanation tells how or why something happens, using causal connectives such as 'because' and 'as a result'. A procedure tells how to do something, using commands.

Standard Australian English

The agreed spelling and grammar conventions used in Australian formal writing, including '-ise' spellings such as 'organise', 'colour' with 'ou', and 'program' rather than 'programme'.

Standard score reporting

LANTITE results are reported as a standard score on a common scale, with a set cut score marking the pass. Results are pass or fail rather than a percentage or rank.

Eliminating extreme options

Options containing absolutes such as 'all', 'never', 'only' or 'proves' are usually wrong in comprehension items unless the passage itself uses that absolute wording.