MTEL flashcards
MTEL · 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 point or most important message of a passage, supported by details and often stated in a topic sentence or thesis.
- Inference
- A conclusion reached by combining textual evidence with prior knowledge; it is not directly stated in the passage.
- Thesis statement
- A sentence that states the central claim of an essay and previews the organization of supporting ideas.
- Topic sentence
- A sentence, usually at the start of a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea and controls its supporting details.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The grammatical rule that a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb in the present tense.
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- The rule that a pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender, as in 'Each student must bring his or her book.'
- Comma splice
- An error in which two independent clauses are joined only by a comma without a coordinating conjunction or appropriate punctuation.
- Run-on sentence
- Two or more independent clauses incorrectly joined without adequate punctuation or a conjunction, creating a fused or unclear sentence.
- Coordinating conjunctions
- The seven words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS), used to join words, phrases, or independent clauses.
- Semicolon use
- A semicolon can join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction and can separate items in a complex list.
- Denotation
- The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, independent of the emotions or cultural associations the word may suggest.
- Connotation
- The emotional, cultural, or implied association a word carries beyond its literal dictionary meaning.
- Transition word
- A word or phrase such as however, therefore, or for example that signals the logical relationship between ideas.
- Summary
- A brief restatement of a text's main ideas and key details in one's own words, preserving the original meaning.
- Paraphrase
- A restatement of a passage's ideas in different words, often similar in length to the original and preserving meaning.
- Figurative language
- Language that uses comparisons or imagery beyond literal meaning, including metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole.
- Area of rectangle
- The amount of surface inside a rectangle, calculated as length multiplied by width, expressed in square units.
- Area of triangle
- The surface enclosed by a triangle, calculated as one-half times the base times the height.
- Mean
- A measure of central tendency calculated by adding all data values and dividing by the number of values.
- Median
- The middle value in an ordered data set; if there is an even number of values, it is the average of the two middle values.
- Independent variable
- In an experiment, the factor that the researcher deliberately changes or manipulates to observe its effect.
- Dependent variable
- In an experiment, the factor that is measured or observed and may change in response to the independent variable.
- Water cycle
- The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection or runoff on Earth.
- Primary source
- A firsthand record or artifact from the time under study, such as a diary, letter, photograph, or original document.
- Secondary source
- A source that interprets or analyzes primary sources, such as a textbook, biography, or scholarly article.
- Checks and balances
- A constitutional principle that gives each branch of government powers to limit the other branches and prevent abuse.
- Metaphor
- A figure of speech that compares two unlike things directly without using like or as.
- Simile
- A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words like or as.
- Map scale
- The ratio or graphic bar showing how distance on a map relates to actual distance on Earth's surface.
- Photosynthesis
- The process by which green plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and release oxygen.
- Percent change
- The change in a value expressed as a percentage of the original value, calculated as (new − old) ÷ old × 100.
- Constitution
- The fundamental law of the United States that establishes the structure and powers of government and protects individual rights.