UPCAT key terms

Maikling pangungusap na nagbibigay ng aral o karunungan batay sa karanasan ng mga tao, madalas may tugma at matalinghagang kahulugan, tulad ng 'Kung may isinuksok, may madudukot.'

Pahayag na ang kahulugan ay hindi makukuha sa literal na kahulugan ng mga salitang bumubuo dito, gaya ng 'nagbibilang ng poste' para sa taong walang trabaho.

Kasabihang nagpapahayag ng katotohanan o paniniwala tungkol sa buhay, karaniwang iniuugnay sa isang tao o pinagmulan, gaya ng mga kasabihang mula sa Bibliya.

Matalinghagang paraan ng pagpapahayag na lumalayo sa karaniwang gamit ng salita upang magbigay ng bisa o kulay, tulad ng pagtutulad, pagwawangis, at pagmamalabis.

Tayutay na tuwirang inihahambing ang dalawang bagay na magkaiba nang hindi gumagamit ng mga salitang 'tulad' o 'parang', gaya ng 'Ang buhay ay isang paglalakbay.'

Tayutay na naghahambing ng dalawang magkaibang bagay gamit ang mga salitang 'tulad', 'parang', 'kasing', o 'gaya', gaya ng 'Ang kanyang ngiti ay parang sikat ng araw.'

Tayutay na sadyang pinalalaki o pinaliliit ang isang bagay upang bigyang-diin ang katangian nito, gaya ng 'Umuulan ng yelo sa lamig ng kanyang tingin.'

Organisadong plano ng isang sulatin na nagpapakita ng pangunahing paksa, mga pantulong na ideya, at mga detalyeng sumasaklaw sa bawat isa, karaniwang ginagamitan ng bilang at titik.

Pangungusap sa loob ng talata na nagpapahayag ng pangunahing ideya nito; kadalasang matatagpuan sa simula ngunit maaari ring nasa gitna o hulihan.

Ang sentral na kaisipan na nais iparating ng isang talata o teksto, kung saan nakaangkla ang lahat ng pantulong na detalye at halimbawa.

Huling bahagi ng teksto na nagbubuod ng mga pangunahing punto at nagpapahayag ng huling kaisipan o paninindigan ng may-akda.

Kongklusyong nabuo mula sa mga pahiwatig at ebidensiya sa teksto kahit hindi ito tuwirang sinabi ng may-akda; tinatawag ding inference sa Ingles.

Malabong senyales o himig sa teksto na tumutulong sa mambabasa na mahulaan ang kahulugan o layunin ng may-akda nang hindi ito sinasabi nang tiyakan.

Saloobin o damdamin ng may-akda sa paksang tinatalakay, gaya ng mapang-uyam, malungkot, o masigla, na mahihinuha sa pagpili ng salita.

Relasyong lohikal sa teksto kung saan ang isang pangyayari ang dahilan ng paglitaw ng isa pa; madalas ipahiwatig ng mga salitang 'dahil', 'kaya', at 'bunga nito'.

Estrukturang naglalahad ng pagkakatulad at pagkakaiba ng dalawa o higit pang bagay upang linawin ang ugnayan nila sa isa't isa.

Words or phrases surrounding an unfamiliar word that help a reader infer its meaning, such as definitions, examples, synonyms, antonyms, or contrasts given in the same sentence or paragraph.

A logical conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning in a text rather than from an explicit statement; readers combine stated details with background knowledge to reach it.

The message a text conveys indirectly through word choice, imagery, or omission, requiring the reader to read between the lines instead of relying on literal statements.

The central point a paragraph or passage is built around; every supporting detail should relate back to it, and it is often stated in a topic sentence.

A sentence, usually near the start of a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea and signals what the rest of the paragraph will explain or illustrate.

A fact, example, statistic, or reason that explains, proves, or develops the main idea of a paragraph or passage.

The reason a writer produces a text, commonly to inform, persuade, entertain, or describe; identifying it helps readers judge which details matter most.

The writer's attitude toward the subject or audience, revealed through diction, sentence structure, and imagery; it differs from mood, which is the reader's emotional response.

A word or phrase such as 'however', 'therefore', or 'in addition' that signals the logical relationship between ideas and guides the reader through a passage.

A text structure that explains why something happened and what resulted, often signaled by words like 'because', 'since', 'as a result', and 'consequently'.

A text structure that examines similarities and differences between two or more subjects, often signaled by words like 'similarly', 'likewise', 'unlike', and 'whereas'.

A testable, tentative explanation for an observation that can be supported or rejected by experiment; it must make predictions that could turn out false.

The factor a researcher deliberately changes or manipulates in an experiment to observe whether it produces an effect on the measured outcome.

The factor that is measured or observed in an experiment; its value is expected to depend on the changes made to the independent variable.

The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment being tested, providing a baseline against which the treated experimental group's results are compared.

The process of nuclear division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells, used for growth and repair in body cells; it is followed by cytokinesis.

A two-stage form of cell division that halves the chromosome number and produces four genetically varied gametes, supporting sexual reproduction and genetic diversity.

One of two or more alternative versions of a gene occupying the same position on homologous chromosomes; combinations of alleles determine traits such as blood type.

The specific combination of alleles an organism carries for a trait, written as letters such as AA, Aa, or aa, whether or not those alleles are visibly expressed.

The observable characteristics of an organism, such as eye color or plant height, resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.

The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass, expressed as F = ma.

The single vector sum of all forces acting on an object; it determines the object's change in motion, not any individual force alone.

The rate at which velocity changes with time, including changes in speed, direction, or both; it is measured in meters per second squared.

A vector quantity describing displacement per unit time, so it includes both speed and direction; a car turning a corner at constant speed still changes velocity.

An equation whose variables appear to the first power only and whose graph is a straight line, commonly written in the form y = mx + b.

The measure of steepness of a line, computed as the change in y divided by the change in x between two points; it represents a constant rate of change.

The point where a graph crosses the vertical axis, occurring where x equals zero; in y = mx + b, it is the value b.

An equation of the form ax squared plus bx plus c equals zero with a not equal to zero; its solutions, called roots, can be found by factoring or the quadratic formula.

The expression b squared minus 4ac in the quadratic formula; its sign reveals whether a quadratic equation has two real roots, one repeated root, or no real roots.

A relation in which each input value is paired with exactly one output value; the vertical line test checks whether a graph represents one.

The complete set of allowable input values for which a function is defined, often restricted by division by zero or by taking the square root of a negative number.

The set of all output values a function can actually produce when every value in its domain is substituted into the rule.

A number from zero to one expressing how likely an event is, calculated for equally likely outcomes as the number of favorable outcomes divided by the total number of outcomes.

An arrangement of items in which order matters, such as the possible finishing orders of runners in a race; the count differs from a combination.

A selection of items in which order does not matter, such as choosing members of a committee; it counts fewer groupings than a permutation of the same items.

The arithmetic average of a data set, found by adding all values and dividing by the number of values; it is sensitive to extreme outliers.

The middle value of a data set arranged in order; if there is an even number of values, it is the average of the two middle values and is resistant to outliers.

The value that appears most frequently in a data set; a set may have one mode, several modes, or no mode at all.