Minnesota NES Essential Academic Skills (EAS) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Main idea

The central claim or point a passage is built to support. Every supporting detail should relate back to it, and it is usually stated or implied in the opening or closing sentences.

Valid inference

A conclusion that must follow from stated evidence rather than being merely possible. If the passage equally supports opposite conclusions, the inference is not warranted.

Fact versus opinion

A fact can be verified against an outside source. An opinion expresses judgment, value, or preference and often uses evaluative words such as best, should, or beautiful.

Author's purpose

The reason a text was written: to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct. Purpose is signaled by structure, tone, and the kinds of evidence the writer chooses.

Cause-effect signal words

Words such as because, therefore, since, consequently, and as a result. They mark a logical relationship in which one stated condition produces another stated outcome.

Context clue types

Hints to an unknown word's meaning: definition clues (appositives), example clues (such as), contrast clues (unlike, but), and restatement clues (in other words).

Evaluating an argument

Identify the claim, the evidence given, unstated assumptions, and whether the evidence is relevant, sufficient, and representative. Weak arguments often rely on anecdote or emotion.

Chronological order

Organization by time sequence, signaled by first, then, after, finally, and meanwhile. Recognizing it helps you track events and locate details quickly.

Subject-verb agreement

A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Intervening phrases such as along with or as well as do not change the subject's number.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement

A pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender. Indefinite singular antecedents such as each, everyone, neither, and somebody take singular pronouns.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Repair it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as but or so.

Restrictive clause

A clause essential to the sentence's meaning, written without commas. Removing it changes the meaning; a nonrestrictive clause is set off by commas and is removable.

Dangling modifier

An introductory phrase that fails to describe the sentence's subject. In 'Walking home, the rain began,' the rain is not walking, so the sentence must be rewritten.

Parallel structure

Items in a series, lists, and paired constructions must share grammatical form. 'Hiking, swimming, and to bike' fails; 'hiking, swimming, and biking' succeeds.

Its versus it's

Its is the possessive form of it, as in 'its cover.' It's is a contraction of it is or it has. Apostrophes never form possessive pronouns such as hers or theirs.

Active versus passive voice

Active voice puts the doer first: 'The committee approved the plan.' Passive voice puts the receiver first: 'The plan was approved.' Prefer active for directness.

Paragraph coherence

A paragraph holds one controlling idea, states it in a topic sentence, and links sentences with transitions that name the actual logical relationship between ideas.

Order of operations

Evaluate parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. This order removes ambiguity from expressions.

Percent change formula

Percent change equals the difference between new and old value, divided by the old value, times 100. A 20% rise then a 20% fall does not restore the original amount.

Solving proportions

Set two ratios equal, a/b = c/d, then cross-multiply to get ad = bc. Use this for scale drawings, unit rates, and recipe or dosage conversions.

Slope-intercept form

The equation y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept. Slope is the change in y divided by the change in x between two points.

Circle formulas

Area equals pi times the radius squared, A = πr². Circumference equals two pi times the radius, C = 2πr. Diameter is twice the radius.

Triangle area

Area equals one-half times base times height, A = ½bh, where height is perpendicular to the chosen base. The angles of any triangle sum to 180 degrees.

Volume of a cylinder

Volume equals pi times the radius squared times height, V = πr²h. A cone with the same base and height holds one-third as much: V = (1/3)πr²h.

Mean, median, mode

Mean is the sum divided by the count. Median is the middle value of an ordered data set. Mode is the most frequent value. Outliers affect the mean most.

Probability of independent events

For independent events, multiply the individual probabilities: P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B). A single event's probability is favorable outcomes divided by total outcomes.

DNS and IP addresses

An IP address identifies a device on a network. DNS translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses so browsers can locate the correct server.

Search operators

Quotation marks force an exact phrase, a minus sign excludes a term, site: limits results to one domain, and filetype: limits results to a specified file format.

Evaluating web sources

Check the author's credentials, publication date, cited evidence, and domain type. Distinguish editorial content from advertising, sponsored posts, and unmoderated user comments.

Relative vs. absolute references

In spreadsheets, a relative reference such as A1 shifts when the formula is copied. An absolute reference such as $A$1 stays fixed, which is useful for constant rates.

Phishing indicators

Warning signs include urgency, mismatched sender addresses, unexpected attachments, and links whose displayed text differs from the actual destination. Verify before clicking.

Alternative text

A short written description of an image read by screen readers. It supports accessibility and also displays when an image fails to load.