PA State Trooper flashcards
PA State Trooper · 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.
- Topic sentence
- The sentence that states a paragraph's main point, usually placed first or last. The remaining sentences supply supporting details, so finding it answers main-idea questions quickly.
- Valid inference
- A conclusion drawn from details the passage states or strongly implies. If a choice needs outside knowledge or a leap the text does not support, it is not a valid inference.
- EXCEPT question method
- A question asking which choice is NOT supported. Test each option against the passage; three will be confirmed by the text and one will contradict it or lack support.
- Author's tone
- The writer's attitude, conveyed through word choice and connotation rather than subject matter. Common labels include positive, negative, neutral, critical, and humorous or ironic.
- Cause-effect signal words
- Words such as because, since, therefore, thus, consequently, and as a result. They identify which statement is the cause and which is the effect, preventing reversal errors.
- Vocabulary in context
- A word's meaning as fixed by its surrounding sentence rather than its most familiar dictionary sense. Substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one preserving the logic.
- Extreme wording distractor
- An answer choice containing always, never, all, none, or must. Passages rarely support absolutes, so such options are wrong unless the text states the absolute explicitly.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The verb matches its subject in number. Nouns inside a prepositional phrase between subject and verb do not change agreement, so 'the box of files is' is correct.
- Comma splice
- Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Repair it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or so.
- Semicolon use
- Joins two independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates list items that already contain commas. It never follows a fragment or introduces a dependent clause.
- Who versus whom
- Who is a subject pronoun and whom is an object pronoun. Substitute he or him: if he fits the slot, use who; if him fits, use whom.
- Dangling modifier
- An introductory phrase that does not describe the subject of the main clause. Fix it by naming the correct doer immediately after the comma or rewriting the phrase as a clause.
- Its versus it's
- Its shows possession, while it's is a contraction of it is or it has. Replace the word with 'it is' to test; if the sentence still reads correctly, use the apostrophe.
- Percent change formula
- New value minus old value, divided by the old value, multiplied by 100. A negative result is a decrease, and the divisor is always the original amount.
- Distance formula
- Distance equals rate multiplied by time. Rearranged, rate equals distance divided by time, and time equals distance divided by rate. Units must match before computing.
- Average formula
- Average equals the sum of the values divided by how many values there are. To find a missing value, multiply the average by the count and subtract the known values.
- Combined work rate
- Add individual rates as fractions of the job per unit time: 1/t = 1/a + 1/b. The combined time t is always less than either worker's individual time.
- Pythagorean triples
- Whole-number sets satisfying a squared plus b squared equals c squared: 3-4-5, 5-12-13, 8-15-17, and 7-24-25. Multiples such as 6-8-10 also work, allowing fast answers.
- Simple interest formula
- Interest equals principal times annual rate as a decimal times time in years. Simple interest is computed only on the original principal, not on previously earned interest.
- Order of operations
- Evaluate parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. Multiplication does not automatically precede division.
- Contrapositive
- The logically equivalent form of 'if P then Q,' namely 'if not Q then not P.' The converse and the inverse are not equivalent and often appear as wrong answer choices.
- Necessary versus sufficient
- A necessary condition must hold for the result to occur; a sufficient condition guarantees it. Confusing the two is the most common flaw in conditional reasoning questions.
- Syllogism chain
- Two premises linking categories: all A are B and all B are C yields all A are C. Draw the chain in order and never assume the reverse direction.
- Eliminating rule violators
- In ordering and grouping puzzles, test each answer choice against every stated rule. Any choice that breaks a single rule is eliminated, leaving survivors to compare directly.
- Weakening an argument
- Attack the hidden assumption connecting evidence to conclusion, or show an alternative explanation for the evidence. Strengthening does the reverse by confirming that the assumption holds.
- Number series steps
- Check successive differences first, then ratios, then alternating subsequences, squares, and primes. Confirm any pattern predicts at least two known terms before applying it.
- Chunking
- Grouping separate items into meaningful units, such as splitting a ten-digit number into three chunks, so more information fits within short-term memory capacity.
- Spacing effect
- Information rehearsed in several short sessions over time is remembered better than the same total study time massed into one session. It applies to facts, faces, and procedures.
- Serial position effect
- Items at the beginning and end of a list are recalled best, while middle items are weakest. Primacy reflects long-term storage and recency reflects short-term availability.
- Method of loci
- A mnemonic that attaches each item to be remembered to a location along a familiar route, then retrieves them by mentally walking the route in order.
- Change blindness
- Failure to notice a change in a scene when attention was elsewhere or the change was masked. Systematic scanning before and after a comparison reduces misses.
- Recognition versus recall
- Recognition, choosing a previously seen item from options, is usually more accurate than free recall, which requires describing the item from memory without cues.