SHSAT key terms

The central point a passage makes about its topic, stated in a sentence or two or implied by the details. Every other sentence in the text should support or develop it.

A broader message or insight about life that a literary work communicates, usually implied rather than stated outright. It differs from the topic, which is simply what the text is about.

A conclusion a reader reaches by combining details from the text with prior knowledge, even though the text never states that conclusion directly.

The attitude the writer takes toward the subject or the audience, revealed through word choice, sentence structure, and selection of detail. It may be critical, amused, admiring, or somber.

The feeling a reader experiences while reading a text, created by setting, imagery, pacing, and word choice rather than by the writer's stated attitude toward the subject.

A comparison between two unlike things that uses the words like, as, or than, such as saying a runner's stride was smooth as glass.

A direct comparison that states one thing is another without using like or as, such as calling a crowded classroom a beehive of activity.

A figure of speech that gives human qualities or actions to something nonhuman, as when a writer says the wind whispered through the trees.

The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning. Cheap and inexpensive share a meaning, but each suggests a different attitude toward price.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, considered apart from any feelings, judgments, or associations the word might suggest to a reader.

Information in the surrounding words, sentences, or paragraph structure that helps a reader work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word without a dictionary.

The reason a writer produces a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain. Purpose shapes which details are included and how the sentences are built.

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient, which determines what information the reader can receive.

Specific words, phrases, or details quoted or paraphrased from a passage in order to support an answer, claim, or interpretation about that passage.

A word or phrase such as however, therefore, or meanwhile that shows how two ideas connect and signals a shift, a cause, or a sequence in the text.

A sentence, usually appearing in an introduction, that states the main claim an essay will develop and support with reasons and evidence.

A brief restatement of a text's main points in the reader's own words, leaving out minor details and personal opinion.

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a complete verb, or a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone.

Two or more complete sentences joined without correct punctuation or a connecting word, so the reader cannot tell where one idea ends.

Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or a comparison, which makes writing clearer and more balanced, as in hiking, swimming, and biking.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written as a fraction or with a colon, showing how many times one amount contains another.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as 3/4 = 6/8. Solving a proportion usually means finding the missing value in one of the ratios.

A ratio that compares a number to 100, so 45 percent means 45 out of every 100. Percents are used for discounts, tax, interest, and change over time.

A letter or symbol that stands for an unknown or changing number in an expression, an equation, or a formula.

The number multiplied by a variable in a term, such as the 7 in 7x. When no number is written beside a variable, the coefficient is 1.

An equation whose graph is a straight line, containing variables raised only to the first power, such as y = 3x - 2.

A measure of how steep a line is, calculated as the change in y divided by the change in x between two points on the line.

A small raised number showing how many times a base is used as a factor, so 2 to the fourth power means 2 x 2 x 2 x 2, or 16.

A number that, when multiplied by itself, produces a given value. For example, the square root of 49 is 7 because 7 x 7 = 49.

The rule that in any right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two legs equals the square of the hypotenuse, written a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

The number of square units needed to cover a flat two-dimensional figure, measured in units such as square inches or square centimeters.

The amount of space a three-dimensional solid occupies, measured in cubic units such as cubic feet or cubic centimeters.

The arithmetic average of a data set, found by adding all the values together and dividing by the number of values.

The middle value in a data set once the values are arranged in order from least to greatest. With an even number of values, average the two middle ones.

A number from 0 to 1 describing how likely an event is, often computed as the number of favorable outcomes divided by the total number of possible outcomes.

The distance of a number from zero on the number line, which is never negative. It is written with vertical bars, so the absolute value of negative five is 5.

A statement comparing two expressions that are not necessarily equal, using symbols such as less than, greater than, less than or equal to, or greater than or equal to.

A rule that pairs each input value with exactly one output value. On a graph, a relation is a function only if it passes the vertical line test.