MAP Language Usage cheat sheet

Order of operations: evaluate parentheses, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

A fraction is simplified when numerator and denominator share no common factor greater than 1; divide both by their greatest common factor.

To add or subtract fractions, rewrite over a common denominator, then combine numerators and keep the denominator.

To divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal: a/b ÷ c/d = a/b × d/c.

Percent means per hundred: 45% = 45/100 = 0.45; to find p% of n, compute (p/100) × n.

Ratio a:b compares two quantities; an equivalent ratio is formed by multiplying or dividing both parts by the same nonzero number.

Area of a rectangle = length × width; area of a triangle = ½ × base × height; volume of a rectangular prism = length × width × height.

Mean = sum of values ÷ number of values; median is the middle value of an ordered list, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even.

A negative number times a negative number is positive; a negative times a positive is negative; subtracting a negative is the same as adding a positive.

Main idea = what the passage is mostly about; supporting details explain, illustrate, or prove that idea rather than replace it.

Theme is a message or insight about life conveyed by a literary text; it is stated as a general statement, not as a plot summary.

Inference = a conclusion drawn from stated evidence plus background knowledge; it must be supported by the text, not guessed freely.

First-person point of view uses I or we; third-person limited stays with one character's thoughts; third-person omniscient knows multiple characters' thoughts.

Context clues include definition, example, contrast (antonyms nearby), and cause-effect relationships inside the sentence or paragraph.

Fact can be verified; opinion expresses a judgment or feeling and often carries evaluative words such as best, should, or beautiful.

Cause explains why something happened; effect explains what happened as a result. Signal words include because, therefore, and as a result.

Author's purpose is usually to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain; the structure and tone of the text point to which one dominates.

Compare-and-contrast text structure uses signal words such as both, unlike, similarly, and in contrast to organize similarities and differences.

A complete sentence needs a subject and a predicate and must express a complete thought; a fragment lacks one of these.

A run-on joins two independent clauses without correct punctuation; fix it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

Coordinating conjunctions are for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS); they join words or clauses of equal grammatical rank.

A comma splice uses only a comma between two independent clauses; replace the comma with a semicolon or add a conjunction.

Subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb; in a compound subject joined by and, the verb is plural.

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender, and its case depends on its role: subject (I, he), object (me, him), possessive (my, his).

Apostrophes show possession (the dog's bowl) or contraction (it's = it is); its without an apostrophe is possessive, and plural nouns ending in s take an apostrophe after the s.

Verb tense must stay consistent within a passage unless a shift in time is clearly signaled by words such as earlier, now, or next year.

A modifier should sit next to the word it describes; a dangling modifier has no clear word to attach to at the start of a sentence.

The scientific method: ask a question, form a hypothesis, design a controlled experiment, collect data, analyze results, and draw a conclusion.

In a controlled experiment, the independent variable is changed by the experimenter, the dependent variable is measured, and constants stay the same.

A hypothesis is a testable prediction, not a proven fact; it is supported or rejected by evidence.

Cells are the basic unit of life; plant cells have a cell wall and chloroplasts, while animal cells do not.

Photosynthesis converts light energy, carbon dioxide, and water into glucose and oxygen inside chloroplasts.

In a food chain, energy flows from producers to consumers; only about 10% of energy passes to the next trophic level.

Matter has mass and takes up space; physical changes alter form or state without making a new substance, while chemical changes produce new substances.

Newton's laws: an object at rest stays at rest unless a force acts; force equals mass times acceleration; every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

The water cycle moves water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection, driven mainly by energy from the sun.