OLSAT Level G flashcards

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

Antonym

A word whose meaning is opposite to another word's meaning, such as scarce and abundant. Antonym questions require an answer that is opposite in meaning and the same part of speech.

Contrast signal words

Words such as although, though, despite, however, yet, but, and whereas that signal the second part of a sentence reverses the idea stated in the first part.

Cause-effect signal words

Words such as because, since, therefore, thus, consequently, and hence that signal the blank follows logically as a result of the cause already stated.

Prefix mal-

A Latin prefix meaning bad or badly, as in malfunction, malice, and malnourished. Recognizing it lets you infer a negative meaning for an unfamiliar word.

Connotation

The positive, negative, or neutral emotional charge a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning. Sentence-completion answers must match the sentence's tone as well as its meaning.

Two-blank sentence completion

An item containing two blanks in one sentence. The correct option must make sense in both blanks, because an option that fills only one blank correctly is a distractor.

Analogy bridge sentence

A short sentence stating the relationship between the first pair of words, such as a wheel is part of a car, which is then tested unchanged on each answer pair.

Part-to-whole direction

The order of an analogy pair matters: wheel is to car is part-to-whole, while car is to wheel is whole-to-part, so answer pairs must match the original direction.

Contrapositive

For any statement of the form if P then Q, the logically equivalent statement if not Q then not P. Contrapositive reasoning is valid and appears frequently in verbal reasoning items.

Converse error

Treating if P then Q as though it also meant if Q then P. The converse is not logically equivalent and is a common wrong answer in verbal reasoning.

Some versus all

All A are B does not imply all B are A, and some A are B means at least one A is B and possibly every A is B.

Degree analogy

An analogy in which the second word is a stronger or more intense version of the first, such as warm is to hot. The answer must preserve both the dimension and the order.

Alternating picture series

A sequence in which odd-numbered frames follow one rule and even-numbered frames follow a different rule, so each of the two patterns must be tracked separately.

Additive growth series

A picture sequence in which each frame adds or removes a fixed number of elements, such as one, two, three, four, or doubles the previous count.

Picture analogy transformation

The exact change applied to the first picture to produce the second, including direction of movement. That same change is applied to the third picture to produce the answer.

Odd-one-out classification

A pictorial reasoning task in which all but one option share a common feature, and the correct answer is the single option that lacks that feature.

Clockwise position shift

A series rule in which an element moves around a circle or around the frame by a fixed number of positions at each step, always in a consistent direction.

Attribute tracking

In picture series, checking one property at a time - number, size, position, orientation, shading, or object type - to find which property actually changes and which stay fixed.

Rotation versus reflection

A rotated figure keeps its handedness and can be turned back to the original. A reflected figure is a mirror image that cannot be matched by rotation in the plane.

Line of symmetry

A line that divides a figure into two halves that are exact mirror images. The number of such lines is a common attribute in figural classification and series items.

Superimposition rule

A figural rule in which two frames are combined: shapes may be added together, kept only where they overlap, or cancelled out where they coincide.

2x2 matrix rule

In a two-by-two figure grid, the change from the left cell to the right cell in the top row must be the same change applied in the bottom row.

Enclosed regions count

The number of separate closed areas inside a figure. This count may stay constant across frames, rise by one, or equal the sum of the other cells.

Concave versus convex

A convex figure has no inward dents and every interior angle is less than 180 degrees. A concave figure has at least one inward-pointing vertex or dent.

Dot placement rule

In figural items, a dot may sit inside, outside, or on the boundary of a shape, and its position relative to overlapping shapes often determines the correct answer.

Arithmetic sequence

A number series in which the difference between consecutive terms is constant, such as 4, 9, 14, 19. The next term is found by adding that same difference.

Geometric sequence

A number series in which each term is multiplied by a constant ratio, such as 3, 6, 12, 24. Ratios are checked when the differences are not constant.

Fibonacci-type series

A series in which each term equals the sum, or occasionally the difference, of the two terms immediately before it, such as 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.

Constant second differences

When the first differences of a series change by a constant amount, the series follows a quadratic rule such as n squared, and the next difference continues that same pattern.

Distance equals rate times time

The formula d = rt used in arithmetic reasoning: distance travelled equals speed multiplied by time. Rearranged, time equals distance divided by rate.

Percent change formula

Percent change equals the new value minus the old value, divided by the old value, then multiplied by 100. A positive result is an increase, a negative result a decrease.

Function machine rule

A numeric inference item that supplies input-output pairs. Find the single operation or pair of operations mapping every input to its output, then apply it to the new input.