UPCAT flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The verb matches the head noun of the subject, ignoring prepositional phrases in between, so "the box of pens is" takes a singular verb.
- Dangling modifier
- An introductory descriptive phrase that fails to attach to the sentence's subject, as in "Walking home, the rain started," which wrongly makes rain the walker.
- Who versus whom
- Use who for the subject of a clause and whom for objects of verbs or prepositions; substituting he or him usually reveals the correct choice.
- Filipino ang-phrase
- The phrase marked by ang is the topic or focus of the sentence and typically occupies the subject slot, while ng marks objects and sa marks location or direction.
- Filipino ligature -ng
- A connector attached to a word ending in a vowel to link it to the next word, as in mabuting estudyante; after a consonant the separate word na is used.
- Filipino verbal focus
- The affix on the verb signals which participant is the topic: mag-/um- for actor, -in and i- for object, -an for location or direction.
- Main idea
- The central claim the entire passage supports; it is broader than any single detail and usually restated correctly in only one answer choice.
- Valid inference
- A conclusion that must follow from the stated evidence in the passage, rather than one that is merely reasonable in general knowledge.
- Author's tone
- The attitude conveyed through word choice and connotation, classified as positive, negative, or neutral before narrowing to a precise descriptive label.
- Contrast signal words
- Words such as however, but, and ngunit that announce an upcoming reversal of expectation, often flagging where the passage's real point lies.
- Scope distractor
- An answer choice that is factually accurate but covers only part of the question or exceeds the passage, making it incorrect for that item.
- Context vocabulary strategy
- Replace the tested word with each option and retain the one that preserves the sentence's logic, tone, and grammatical fit.
- Cell theory
- Three principles: all organisms consist of cells, the cell is the basic unit of life, and new cells arise only from existing cells.
- Photosynthesis equation
- Six carbon dioxide molecules plus six water molecules, using light energy, yield one glucose molecule and six oxygen molecules inside chloroplasts.
- Newton's second law
- The net force on an object equals its mass times its acceleration, so acceleration grows with force and shrinks as mass increases.
- Speed versus velocity
- Speed is a scalar giving magnitude only, while velocity is a vector giving magnitude and direction, so a direction change is an acceleration.
- Atomic number
- The number of protons in a nucleus, which identifies the element; mass number adds neutrons, and isotopes differ only in neutron count.
- pH scale
- A logarithmic measure of hydrogen-ion concentration where values below seven are acidic, seven is neutral, and above seven is basic.
- Metamorphic rock
- Rock formed when existing rock is altered by intense heat and pressure without melting, often producing foliation or recrystallization.
- Monohybrid cross ratio
- Crossing two heterozygotes for one gene gives a 3:1 dominant-to-recessive phenotype ratio and a 1:2:1 genotype ratio.
- Quadratic formula
- For ax squared plus bx plus c equals zero, x equals negative b plus or minus the square root of b squared minus four ac, all over two a.
- Discriminant
- The expression b squared minus four ac in the quadratic formula; positive gives two real roots, zero gives one, negative gives none.
- Slope formula
- The slope through two points is the change in y divided by the change in x, computed as y two minus y one over x two minus x one.
- Perpendicular slopes
- Two nonvertical lines are perpendicular exactly when the product of their slopes equals negative one, so the slopes are negative reciprocals.
- Arithmetic sequence formula
- The nth term equals the first term plus n minus one times the common difference, and the sum uses n times the average of first and last terms.
- Geometric sequence formula
- The nth term equals the first term times the common ratio raised to n minus one, growing or decaying multiplicatively rather than by fixed addition.
- Circle area and circumference
- Area equals pi times radius squared, and circumference equals two pi times radius; a central angle of theta degrees subtends an arc proportional to theta over 360.
- Independent events
- Two events are independent when one's occurrence does not change the other's probability; their joint probability is the product of the individual probabilities.
- Pythagorean theorem
- In a right triangle the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the two legs, valid only when one angle is ninety degrees.
- Successive percent change
- Two percent changes applied in sequence multiply rather than add, so a 20 percent rise then a 20 percent fall leaves a net four percent decrease.
- Triangle angle sum
- The three interior angles of any triangle add to 180 degrees, and an exterior angle equals the sum of the two nonadjacent interior angles.
- Logarithm product rule
- The log of a product equals the sum of the logs of the factors, and the log of a quotient equals the difference of the logs.