SLAF Officer Cadet Selection Exam key terms

A comparison of two quantities by division, and an equation stating that two such comparisons are equal. Used to scale recipes, maps, fuel mixtures and speed-distance problems, and to split a total in a given ratio.

A number expressed as a fraction of one hundred. Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages quickly is essential for profit-loss, discount, interest and data-interpretation questions in timed papers.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. Questions often ask for a new average after adding or removing an item, or for the missing value given the overall average.

Simple interest is charged only on the original principal; compound interest is charged on principal plus accumulated interest. Candidates must apply both formulas and compare totals over several periods.

The relationship that distance equals speed multiplied by time. Problems involve relative speed of two moving objects, average speed over a journey, and converting between kilometres per hour and metres per second.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. Errors commonly appear with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and phrases inserted between the subject and its verb.

Keeping verb tenses logically consistent within a sentence or passage, shifting only when the time frame genuinely changes. Mixed tenses are a frequent error in correction and cloze items.

Active voice makes the doer the subject; passive voice makes the receiver the subject and uses a form of 'be' plus past participle. Candidates must convert sentences both ways and choose the clearer form.

Direct speech quotes a speaker's exact words; indirect speech reports them, requiring changes to pronouns, tense and time words. Transformation questions test these systematic adjustments.

Choosing the correct preposition after verbs, adjectives and nouns, such as 'depend on', 'capable of' and 'comply with'. Fixed combinations must be memorised because literal translation often misleads.

An expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'at the eleventh hour' or 'in the nick of time'. Idiom items reward wide reading rather than literal analysis.

A synonym is a word with nearly the same meaning as another; an antonym has the opposite meaning. These items test vocabulary breadth, so learning words in related clusters is efficient.

Extracting stated and implied meaning from a passage, including the writer's purpose and tone. Answers must be supported by the text, not by personal opinion or outside knowledge.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text rather than stated outright. Distinguishing a valid inference from a guess is central to comprehension and to reasoning questions alike.

A logical argument with two premises and a conclusion, tested by checking whether the conclusion must follow. Venn diagrams help decide what is definitely true, possibly true, or cannot be concluded.

A pair relationship question asking you to find the same relationship in a second pair, such as part to whole or worker to tool. Identifying the precise link before scanning options prevents false matches.

Finding the rule behind a sequence of numbers, letters or figures and predicting the next term. Rules may involve differences, multiples, alternating patterns or positions of letters in the alphabet.

Questions where words or numbers are replaced by a code according to a rule, and you must translate in either direction. Common rules shift letters by fixed positions or reverse the alphabet.

Puzzles describing family links in words or symbols, asking how two people are related. Drawing a small family tree with clear gender and generation markers avoids most errors.

Problems tracking movement in terms of north, south, east and west, often asking for final direction or shortest distance. Sketching each turn and using right-triangle geometry gives reliable answers.

Three principles describing how force affects motion: objects resist change, force equals mass times acceleration, and every action has an equal opposite reaction. They underpin most mechanics questions.

The rate at which a freely falling body speeds up under gravity, about 9.8 metres per second squared near the Earth's surface. It is independent of the object's mass when air resistance is ignored.

Work is force applied over a distance; energy is the capacity to do work; power is the rate of doing work. Units are the joule and the watt, and energy is conserved though it changes form.

For a conductor at constant temperature, current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance, written V equals I times R. It supports simple series and parallel circuit calculations.

The bending of light as it passes from one medium into another of different optical density, caused by a change in speed. It explains lenses, prisms, apparent depth and the bending of a stick in water.

An arrangement of elements by increasing atomic number, grouped so that elements with similar properties fall in the same column. Position predicts reactivity, valency and whether an element is metal or non-metal.

The combining capacity of an element or radical, showing how many bonds it can form. It is used to write correct chemical formulas and to balance equations accurately.

Acids donate hydrogen ions and turn blue litmus red; bases accept hydrogen ions and turn red litmus blue. Their reaction, neutralisation, produces a salt and water and is measured on the pH scale.

A scale from 0 to 14 measuring hydrogen ion concentration: below 7 is acidic, 7 is neutral, above 7 is basic. Each unit represents a tenfold change in acidity.

A mole is the amount of substance containing Avogadro's number of particles, about 6.022 times ten to the twenty-third. It links mass, molar mass and the number of particles in stoichiometric calculations.

The envelope of gases around the Earth, divided by temperature behaviour into troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere. Weather occurs in the troposphere; most ozone sits in the stratosphere.

Pressure is the force air exerts per unit area; density is its mass per unit volume. Both decrease with altitude, which reduces engine power and lift and is why aircraft performance tables change with height.

Lift is the upward aerodynamic force keeping an aircraft airborne, produced mainly by airflow over the wing; drag opposes motion through the air. Both increase with airspeed and angle of attack.

The angle between the wing's chord line and the oncoming airflow. Increasing it raises lift up to a critical point, beyond which the airflow separates and the wing stalls.

The ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to supply oxygen during sustained activity. Built by running, swimming and cycling, it is tested in distance runs and endurance assessments.

Distributing effort evenly over a set distance or time so that energy is not exhausted early. Starting too fast is the most common cause of a poor timed-run result.

Gentle preparatory activity before exercise and gradual tapering afterwards. Warming up raises muscle temperature and lowers injury risk; cooling down aids recovery and reduces stiffness.

Strength is the maximum force a muscle group can produce once; endurance is its ability to repeat or hold effort. Both are developed through resistance work and tested in push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.

The unbroken line of authority from the highest level to the lowest, defining who reports to whom. It provides clear accountability and prevents conflicting orders reaching the same person.

The principle that each person should receive orders from, and be accountable to, only one superior. Violating it causes confusion, divided loyalty and conflicting instructions.

The number of subordinates one leader can effectively supervise. Wide spans suit simple, routine work; narrow spans suit complex or high-risk tasks needing close oversight.

Assigning a task and the necessary authority to a subordinate while retaining overall accountability. Done well it develops people and frees the leader for higher-level decisions.

Adapting one's style, from directing to coaching to supporting to delegating, according to the team's competence and commitment for a particular task. No single style fits every follower or situation.

Consistently acting honestly and ethically, even when unobserved or when it costs something personally. In military assessment it is judged through consistency between stated values and past behaviour.

Accepting responsibility for one's decisions and their outcomes, including mistakes, rather than shifting blame. Interviewers look for concrete examples where a candidate owned a failure and corrected it.

Cooperating with others towards a shared goal, contributing one's strengths and supporting weaker areas. Strong answers describe a specific role played and how conflict was resolved.

Maintaining effective judgement and controlled behaviour under pressure, fatigue or uncertainty. Assessors test it through rapid questioning, group tasks and physical challenges observed over several days.