MAP Language Usage flashcards
MAP Language Usage · 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.
- Order of operations
- The agreed sequence for evaluating expressions: parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.
- Greatest common factor
- The largest number that divides two or more given numbers evenly. Dividing a numerator and denominator by it produces a fraction in simplest form.
- Reciprocal
- The number that multiplies a given fraction to equal 1, formed by swapping numerator and denominator. Dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal.
- Mean vs. median
- The mean is the sum of values divided by how many values there are. The median is the middle value of an ordered list, or the average of the two middle values.
- Ratio
- A comparison of two quantities by division, written as a to b or a:b. Multiplying or dividing both parts by the same nonzero number gives an equivalent ratio.
- Triangle area formula
- The area of a triangle equals one half times its base times its height, where height is measured perpendicular to the chosen base.
- Percent of a number
- To find p percent of a number n, convert the percent to a decimal by dividing by 100, then multiply by n. For example, 30% of 80 is 0.30 times 80, or 24.
- Negative number multiplication
- Multiplying two numbers with the same sign gives a positive product; multiplying two numbers with opposite signs gives a negative product.
- Main idea
- The central point a passage is mostly about, usually stated in a topic sentence or implied across the text. Supporting details explain or prove it rather than replace it.
- Theme
- A general message or insight about life that a literary text conveys through characters and events. It is expressed as a broad statement, not a plot summary.
- Inference
- A conclusion a reader draws by combining evidence stated in the text with prior knowledge. A valid inference must be supported by details in the passage.
- Context clues
- Hints inside surrounding sentences that reveal an unfamiliar word's meaning, including definitions, examples, contrasts with antonyms, and cause-effect relationships.
- Point of view
- The perspective a story is told from: first person uses I or we, third-person limited follows one character's thoughts, and third-person omniscient knows many characters' thoughts.
- Fact vs. opinion
- A fact can be checked and verified against evidence. An opinion expresses a judgment, feeling, or belief and often uses evaluative words such as best or should.
- Cause and effect
- A text structure in which one event or condition produces another. Signal words such as because, therefore, and as a result show which part is which.
- Author's purpose
- The main reason a text was written, usually to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain. Word choice, structure, and tone all point toward the dominant purpose.
- Sentence fragment
- A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a predicate, or a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone.
- Run-on sentence
- Two or more independent clauses joined without correct punctuation. It is repaired with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.
- Comma splice
- An error in which only a comma separates two independent clauses. Fix it with a semicolon, a period, or a coordinating conjunction after the comma.
- Coordinating conjunctions
- The seven words for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so, which join words, phrases, or clauses of equal grammatical rank.
- Subject-verb agreement
- A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. A compound subject joined by and normally takes a plural verb.
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- A pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender, so a singular noun takes a singular pronoun and a plural noun takes a plural pronoun.
- Apostrophe use
- An apostrophe marks possession, as in the dog's bowl, or a contraction, as in it's meaning it is. The word its without an apostrophe is possessive.
- Dangling modifier
- A descriptive phrase at the start of a sentence that has no clear word to attach to, so the sentence reads as if the wrong thing performs the action.
- Controlled experiment
- A test in which the experimenter changes one independent variable, measures a dependent variable, and keeps all other conditions constant for a fair comparison.
- Hypothesis
- A testable prediction about the outcome of an experiment. Evidence can support or reject it, but a hypothesis is never treated as a proven fact.
- Photosynthesis
- The process in which plants use light energy to combine carbon dioxide and water into glucose, releasing oxygen as a byproduct inside chloroplasts.
- Plant vs. animal cells
- Both share a cell membrane and nucleus, but plant cells also have a rigid cell wall and chloroplasts for photosynthesis, which animal cells lack.
- Physical vs. chemical change
- A physical change alters form or state without creating a new substance. A chemical change produces new substances with different properties.
- Newton's second law
- The acceleration of an object equals the net force acting on it divided by its mass, commonly written as force equals mass times acceleration.
- Water cycle
- The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection, powered mainly by energy from the sun.
- Energy in food chains
- Energy flows from producers to consumers along a food chain, but only about ten percent passes from one trophic level to the next.