OLSAT Level C key terms

A single word whose meaning the test asks you to identify, usually by choosing a synonym or by picking the word that fits a sentence. These questions check word knowledge rather than logic.

A word that means nearly the same thing as another word, such as big and large. Synonym questions ask you to pick the answer closest in meaning to the given word.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as hot and cold. Antonym questions ask you to choose the answer most nearly opposite in meaning to the given word.

The small difference in strength or feeling between words that are close in meaning, such as warm, hot, and scorching. Test items may ask which word is the better fit for a sentence.

A hint inside a sentence or short passage that helps you work out an unfamiliar word's meaning. The rest of the sentence often shows what kind of thing the word names or how it acts.

A question type in which one or two words are missing from a sentence and you choose the answer that makes the sentence correct and sensible as a whole.

A sentence-completion item with two missing words and answer choices given as pairs. Both words must fit, so a choice is wrong if either word fails the sentence's meaning or grammar.

A verbal reasoning task that gives several words belonging to one category and asks you to choose the word that does not belong, or the word that fits the same category.

A classification item in which all but one of the listed words share a category or a rule. Your job is to find the single word that breaks the shared pattern.

A group of things that share a defining feature, such as tools, mammals, or vehicles. Naming the category of the given words is the fastest way to solve classification items.

A comparison stated as A is to B as C is to D. You identify the relationship between the first pair and then apply the same relationship to complete the second pair.

A short sentence you write to state the link between the two given words in an analogy, such as a glove is worn on a hand. You then test each answer choice in the same sentence.

The specific connection between two words in an analogy, such as part to whole, worker to tool, or cause to effect. The relationship must stay the same on both sides of the analogy.

The direction in which an analogy's relationship runs. If the first pair goes from part to whole, the second pair must also go from part to whole, not whole to part.

A common analogy relationship in which the first word names a piece of the second, such as petal to flower. Reversing it, whole to part, is a different relationship and does not match.

A conclusion drawn from clues in a short passage rather than stated outright. Inference items ask what must be true, what probably happened, or how a person likely feels.

The central point that a short passage is mostly about. Main-idea questions ask you to choose the statement that best sums up the whole paragraph rather than one small fact.

A comprehension item that asks for a specific fact stated directly in the passage, such as a name, a number, or an action. The answer is found in the text, not guessed.

The order in which events happen. Sequencing items ask you to arrange steps or story events from first to last, or to identify what happened before or after something else.

An arrangement of items that follows a rule, such as smallest to largest, earliest to latest, or first step to last step. You choose the answer that keeps the same rule.

Items that give a short set of written or symbolic instructions and ask what result they produce. Careful step-by-step reading matters more than speed.

A reasoning task in which letters, numbers, or symbols stand for other words or values according to a stated rule. You decode the rule and then apply it to a new case.

An analogy presented with pictures instead of words, such as a picture of a bird next to a nest, then a bee next to a choice of pictures. The same relationship must hold.

A picture task in which several images share a common feature and you choose the picture that belongs with them or the one that does not fit the group.

A row of pictures that changes in a regular way, such as a growing number of objects or a rotating position. You pick the picture that continues the pattern.

A rule that repeats across items in a series, such as alternating shapes, adding one each time, or turning a quarter turn. Finding the rule lets you predict the next item.

A sequence of figures or symbols that follow a rule from one position to the next. Series items ask you to choose the figure that comes next or fills a gap.

An analogy built from abstract shapes rather than objects or words, such as a large circle changing to a small circle. You apply the same shape change to a new starting figure.

A task in which several abstract figures share a feature, such as number of sides or shading, and you choose the figure that belongs with them or does not belong.

Turning a figure around a point without flipping it, often by a quarter turn or half turn. Rotation items ask which choice shows the same figure turned in the stated way.

A mirror image of a figure, produced by flipping it across a line. A reflected figure is not the same as a rotated one, and items often test whether you can tell them apart.

A pattern in which two features take turns, such as shading appearing, then missing, then appearing again. Spotting alternation helps you predict every other item in a series.

A grid of figures arranged in rows and columns so that each row and column follows a rule. You choose the figure that completes the missing cell.

An answer choice that looks tempting but is wrong, often because it matches only part of the rule. Eliminating distractors is a core test-taking skill across all four domains.

The strategy of crossing out answer choices you can prove wrong, then choosing among what remains. It saves time and raises accuracy when the correct answer is not immediately clear.

The short instructions at the start of each question set that explain what to do and how to mark answers. Reading them carefully prevents errors caused by answering the wrong question type.