MD POST flashcards
MD POST · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Main idea
- The central claim that the entire passage is written to support. Every other sentence either explains, illustrates, or qualifies it.
- Implied statement
- A claim the passage logically requires but does not state outright. It follows from the text alone, without outside assumptions.
- Scope error
- An answer choice that is broader or narrower than the passage supports, often signaled by words like all, only, or never.
- Author's tone
- The attitude the writer conveys through word choice and evaluative language, such as neutral, skeptical, approving, or urgent.
- Comma splice
- Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Repair with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus coordinating conjunction.
- Dangling modifier
- An introductory phrase whose intended subject is missing from the main clause, so the phrase appears to describe the wrong noun.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The verb must match the head noun of the subject in number, ignoring intervening prepositional phrases that may contain plurals.
- Parallel structure
- Items joined by and, or, or in a series must share the same grammatical form, such as all infinitives or all nouns.
- Percent change
- The difference between new and old value divided by the old value, multiplied by one hundred to express it as a percentage.
- Average speed
- Total distance traveled divided by total elapsed time. It is not the arithmetic mean of the separate speeds on each leg.
- Slope formula
- The change in y divided by the change in x between two points on a line, written as (y2 minus y1) over (x2 minus x1).
- Compound interest
- Interest calculated on both the original principal and previously accumulated interest, growing faster than simple interest over time.
- Ratio scaling
- Multiplying every part of a ratio by the same factor keeps the relationship unchanged while matching a given total or quantity.
- Escalation trigger
- A condition requiring referral upward, such as risk of harm, suspected misconduct, legal exposure, or a decision beyond your authority.
- De-escalation sequence
- A calm approach that listens fully, acknowledges the person's concern, states limits clearly, and then offers acceptable options.
- Need-to-know sharing
- Disclosing confidential information only to people who require it to perform their duties, never through informal or public channels.
- Behavior-focused feedback
- Feedback that describes specific observable actions and their impact rather than labeling the person's character or motives.
- Fact versus inference
- A fact is directly seen, heard, or measured; an inference is a conclusion drawn from it and must be labeled as such.
- Observation conditions
- The lighting, distance, weather, and obstructions present at the time, which affect how reliable the observation is.
- Perceptual narrowing
- Under high stress, attention concentrates on the perceived threat, reducing awareness of peripheral details and sounds.
- Description order
- A consistent sequence for recording a person: number, sex, age range, height, build, hair, clothing, then distinguishing marks.
- Chunking
- Grouping separate items into meaningful units, such as digit strings or phrases, so working memory can hold more information.
- Spaced practice
- Distributing study sessions across days rather than massing them together, which produces stronger and longer-lasting retention.
- Retrieval practice
- Recalling material without looking at notes. The effort of retrieval strengthens memory more than rereading the same text.
- Recognition versus recall
- Recognizing a correct answer among options is easier than producing it unaided; free recall is the hardest of the three.
- Misinformation effect
- A leading or suggestive question asked after an event can alter a witness's memory of what actually occurred.
- Chronological narrative
- A report organized in the order events happened, so a reader can reconstruct the sequence without guessing.
- Direct quotation
- A person's exact words placed inside quotation marks and attributed. Paraphrased speech takes no quotation marks.
- Twenty-four-hour clock
- Time written as four digits from 0000 to 2359, avoiding ambiguity between morning and evening and used consistently throughout.
- Addendum correction
- A dated, initialed addition that fixes an error in a completed report without erasing or overwriting the original entry.
- Objective language
- Wording that reports observable actions and statements without editorial words such as obviously, unfortunately, or allegedly.
- Report essentials
- The core facts a report must establish: who was involved, what happened, when and where, how it occurred, and what action followed.