Praxis Core Reading flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Main idea
- The central claim that the entire passage is written to support. It is broader than any single detail and must be stated as a full assertion about the topic.
- Topic versus main idea
- The topic is a word or phrase naming the subject; the main idea is a complete sentence asserting something about that subject, often including a scope word such as most or some.
- Supporting detail
- A fact, example, statistic, or quotation that strengthens the main idea. Detail questions ask what the passage states, not what a reader might additionally believe.
- Valid inference
- A conclusion the text forces without outside knowledge. If a choice is true in general but not required by the passage, it is not a valid inference for that question.
- Summary criteria
- A correct summary keeps the central claim and its qualifiers while dropping examples, repeated evidence, and minor asides. It must not add opinions absent from the passage.
- Chronology questions
- Questions asking which event happened first rely on time markers and cause-effect verbs in the passage, not on the order in which details happen to be mentioned.
- Author attitude
- The author's evaluative stance toward the subject, revealed by adjectives, adverbs, and concessions rather than by neutral factual statements alone.
- Function of a detail
- Why the author includes a specific fact or example: to illustrate, to contrast, to concede a point, or to provide the basis for a later conclusion.
- Paragraph structure labels
- Marking each paragraph as claim, evidence, counterpoint, or conclusion lets you answer structure questions by role rather than by topic content.
- Word in context
- The meaning of a word as used in a specific sentence. Test each option by substitution and keep only the one matching surrounding connotation and register.
- Connotation
- The emotional or evaluative shading a word carries beyond its literal meaning, such as the difference between childish and childlike or cheap and inexpensive.
- Contrast transition
- Words such as however, nevertheless, yet, and in contrast signal that the next idea reverses or limits the previous one; the answer must reflect that reversal.
- Cause transition
- Words such as therefore, consequently, thus, and as a result signal that the following statement is presented as a consequence of what preceded it.
- Concession marker
- Phrases such as granted, admittedly, or although introduce a point the author partly accepts, usually to set up a rebuttal in the next sentence.
- Tone
- The author's emotional register toward the subject, such as critical, admiring, cautious, or ironic, inferred from word choice rather than from stated opinion.
- Pronoun referent
- The noun a pronoun replaces. The correct antecedent agrees in number and produces a sensible sentence; the nearest preceding noun is often a distractor.
- Figurative comparison
- A metaphor or simile links two unlike things to highlight a shared trait. The correct answer names that trait, not merely the two things compared.
- Sentence purpose
- The job a sentence performs in the passage, such as introducing a claim, supplying evidence, conceding a counterpoint, or restating the conclusion.
- Rhetorical question
- A question asked for effect rather than for information, often used to introduce a claim or to challenge a reader's assumption.
- Register
- The level of formality in word choice, ranging from casual to academic. A context answer must match the register of the surrounding sentence.
- Author's purpose
- The overall aim of the passage, such as to explain, persuade, describe, or criticize. It must match the dominant pattern of the whole text.
- Paired passage relationship
- The stance of two authors toward one issue: agree, oppose, or qualify, where one accepts a premise but disputes its extent, cause, or remedy.
- Qualification
- A position that partly agrees with another view while limiting it, often signaled by words such as partly, largely, except, or only when.
- Argument flaw
- A weakness in reasoning, usually an unstated assumption or evidence that does not bear on the claim being made.
- Evidence relevance
- The requirement that cited evidence actually bear on the specific claim. Evidence about a related but different issue fails this test.
- Evidence sufficiency
- The requirement that cited evidence be enough to support the claim's scope. A single case cannot establish a claim about most or all.
- Representativeness
- The degree to which cited evidence reflects the broader group it is used to describe. Atypical examples weaken an argument's support.
- Unstated assumption
- A premise the argument needs but never states. Identifying it is the standard route to explaining why an argument fails.
- Foil
- An opposing view the author presents and then rebuts. Its presence shows the author's position by contrast and is not the author's own claim.
- Analogy application
- Extending a relationship from the passage to a new situation. The correct choice preserves the same logical relationship, not the same subject matter.
- Cross-passage evidence
- A detail from one passage used to answer a question about the other or about both. Confirm the source passage named in the question before choosing.
- Trend description
- A statement of direction, such as increase, decline, or plateau, plus the group affected. It must match the passage's stated comparison exactly.