WASSCE Liberia key terms

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in the same language, such as 'big' and 'large', so a writer can vary vocabulary without changing the message.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as 'hot' and 'cold', used in questions that test whether you understand contrast in meaning between words in a passage.

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a base word to change its meaning, as 'un-' does in 'unhappy', and knowing common ones helps you work out unfamiliar words.

A letter or group of letters added to the end of a base word to change its meaning or grammatical form, such as '-ness' in 'kindness' or '-ed' for past tense.

The grammar rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

A sentence structure where the subject receives the action rather than doing it, formed with a form of 'be' plus a past participle, as in 'The letter was written by Ada'.

A group of words that contains its own subject and verb; an independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a subordinate clause cannot and depends on a main clause.

A conclusion you draw from evidence in a text rather than from a statement made directly, using clues plus your own knowledge to understand what the writer implies.

A whole number that divides another number exactly without leaving a remainder; for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 are all factors of 12.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number, so the multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on, continuing without end.

A whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself, such as 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11; 1 is not prime because it has only one factor.

The largest whole number that divides two or more given numbers exactly; for 18 and 24 the common factors are 1, 2, 3 and 6, so the highest common factor is 6.

A comparison of two or more quantities by division, written with a colon or as a fraction, such as 3:2 or 3/2, showing how many times one amount contains another.

A way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100, using the symbol %, so 45% means 45 out of every 100 and equals the decimal 0.45.

The arithmetic average found by adding all the values in a data set and dividing the total by the number of values, useful for summarising a set of scores with one number.

The rule that in a right-angled triangle the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides, written as a² + b² = c².

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make glucose and release oxygen, with chlorophyll in chloroplasts absorbing the light energy needed for the reactions.

The chemical process in living cells that releases energy from glucose, using oxygen in aerobic respiration and producing carbon dioxide and water as waste products.

The movement of water molecules through a partially permeable membrane from a region of higher water concentration to one of lower water concentration, without energy input from the cell.

A community of living organisms interacting with each other and with their non-living surroundings, including soil, water, air and sunlight, in a particular area.

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom, such as oxygen, iron or carbon, which cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means.

A pure substance formed when two or more different elements are chemically joined in fixed proportions, such as water, which contains hydrogen and oxygen combined.

A substance that releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water, turns blue litmus paper red, and reacts with a base to form a salt and water.

The mass of a substance per unit volume, calculated by dividing mass by volume; a dense object feels heavy for its size and may sink in water.

A system of government in which power comes from the people, who choose their leaders through regular free and fair elections and enjoy basic freedoms protected by law.

The fundamental set of rules and principles by which a state is governed, defining the powers of government, the rights of citizens and how institutions relate to one another.

The legal status of belonging to a country, which carries rights such as voting and protection, and duties such as obeying laws and paying taxes.

The basic freedoms and protections that every person is entitled to simply because they are human, such as the right to life, education and a fair trial.

The arrangement in which the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government have separate functions and can limit one another, helping to prevent the abuse of power.

The basic economic problem that resources are limited while people's wants are unlimited, so choices must be made about what to produce and consume.

A general and continuing rise in the prices of goods and services over time, which reduces the purchasing power of money and can harm people on fixed incomes.

The principle that everyone, including government officials, is subject to the same laws, which are applied fairly and openly rather than according to personal whim.