GCE A/L Common General Test key terms

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in a given context. Verbal questions often ask you to pick the closest match among four or five options.

A word whose meaning is opposite to another word's meaning, such as 'scarce' and 'abundant'. Identifying opposites requires checking that both the part of speech and the degree of meaning fit.

A pair relationship where two words share a logical link, and you must find another pair with the same link. The link may be function, cause, part-whole, degree, or category membership.

A set of items in which all but one share a common feature; the task is to identify the item that breaks the pattern. The shared feature may be meaning, spelling, sound, or category.

Grouping words or items by a shared property, or deciding which group a new item belongs to. It tests whether you can see the defining feature rather than a surface similarity.

A conclusion drawn from stated evidence rather than stated outright. In comprehension passages, a valid inference must follow necessarily from the text, not merely seem plausible from general knowledge.

The central point a passage is built to support, usually broader than any single detail. Distractors often restate one supporting fact and present it as the whole message.

The writer's attitude towards the subject, conveyed through word choice, such as critical, neutral, humorous, or sympathetic. Tone questions require evidence from the passage, not your own reaction.

A letter group attached to the front of a base word that changes its meaning, as 'un-' does in 'unfair'. Recognising common prefixes helps you decode unfamiliar vocabulary under time pressure.

A letter group added to the end of a base word, often changing its grammatical class, as '-ness' turns 'kind' into a noun. Suffixes also signal tense, number, and comparison.

The core part of a word that carries its basic meaning and remains after prefixes and suffixes are removed. Latin and Greek roots such as 'bene' (good) help you infer meanings of unfamiliar words.

A comparison of two quantities by division, written as a:b or as a fraction. Ratios can be scaled up or down only by multiplying or dividing both parts by the same non-zero number.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, used to solve for an unknown quantity. Cross-multiplication converts a proportion into a simple linear equation.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred. Percentage change is calculated by dividing the change by the original value, so an increase from 40 to 50 is 25 per cent, not 10.

The arithmetic mean, found by adding all values and dividing by how many there are. The total always equals the average multiplied by the count, a shortcut used in many problems.

A mean in which each value contributes in proportion to its assigned weight, rather than equally. It is used for combined groups of different sizes, such as two classes with different marks.

A technique of finding the value of one unit first, then multiplying to get the required quantity. It converts most direct and inverse variation problems into two simple steps.

A ratio comparing quantities of different units, such as kilometres per hour or rupees per kilogram. Rate problems usually require matching units before any calculation is done.

A problem type where workers or machines complete a task at given rates. Convert each worker's contribution to a fraction of the job per day, then add the fractions.

Interest calculated only on the original principal, using the formula principal times rate times time divided by one hundred. It does not grow on previously earned interest.

Interest calculated on the principal plus interest already added, so the amount grows geometrically. Over multiple periods it always exceeds simple interest on the same principal and rate.

A sequence of numbers following a hidden rule, where you supply the missing or next term. Check differences, ratios, alternating patterns, and squares or cubes before assuming a rule.

An ordered list of items generated by a rule, where position matters. In reasoning tests, sequences may involve letters, numbers, or symbols rather than only arithmetic values.

A deductive argument with premises that lead to a conclusion, often tested with statements about 'all', 'some', and 'no'. A conclusion is valid only if it must be true whenever the premises are true.

The property of an argument whose conclusion follows necessarily from its premises, regardless of whether those premises are factually true. Validity concerns form, not real-world truth.

An unstated premise that must be true for an argument to hold. In assumption questions, negate the option: if the argument collapses, the option is the required assumption.

A reasoning problem that describes family links in words and asks how two people are related. Drawing a small family tree with fixed symbols prevents confusion over gender and generation.

A problem tracking movement by compass directions, often asking for final distance or facing direction. Sketch each turn and use Pythagoras when the path forms a right angle.

A puzzle placing people around a line or circle under positional clues such as 'A sits third to the left of B'. Start with the most restrictive clue and build outward.

A repeating or rule-governed regularity across items, positions, or steps. Identifying the smallest repeating unit is usually faster than tracking every element individually.

Turning a figure about a fixed point by a given angle, clockwise or anticlockwise. The shape's size and internal angles stay the same, but its orientation changes.

Flipping a figure across a line so that it becomes a mirror image. Unlike rotation, reflection reverses handedness, so a letter like 'b' becomes 'd'.

Any rule that moves or resizes a figure, including translation, rotation, reflection, and enlargement. Describing a transformation precisely requires stating both its type and its parameters.

A flat arrangement of faces that folds into a given three-dimensional solid. A valid cube net has six squares and must fold without overlapping faces.

A property where a figure maps onto itself under a reflection or rotation. A line of symmetry divides a shape into two mirror halves that coincide exactly.

A link where one item is a component of a larger item, as a page is part of a book. Analogy questions often test this link against distractors showing category membership instead.

Recent national and international events of public importance, such as elections, treaties, and major appointments. Questions usually target widely reported facts from the past year, not obscure detail.

Established factual awareness across areas such as geography, history, science, and institutions. Reliable preparation focuses on stable facts rather than rapidly changing statistics.

Reaching a guaranteed conclusion by applying rules to given facts, step by step. Each deduction must follow from stated information alone, never from personal belief.