Praxis Spanish: World Language 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 point that summarizes an entire listening or reading passage; correct options cover the whole text rather than a single supporting detail.
- False cognate
- A word that resembles an English word but differs in meaning, such as Spanish 'actual' (current) versus English 'actual'.
- Preterite tense
- Spanish past tense marking completed actions viewed as a whole, often the foreground events in a narrative.
- Imperfect tense
- Spanish past tense marking ongoing background actions, habitual past behavior, descriptions, and states without a clear endpoint.
- Inference question
- An interpretive item asking for a conclusion not stated directly; the answer must be implied by evidence in the passage.
- Register
- The level of formality in language, shaped by audience and setting; Spanish marks it with tú/usted, vocabulary, and formulaic expressions.
- Sequence markers
- Words such as primero, luego, después, and finalmente that organize events and signal order-of-events questions in interpretive tasks.
- Author's purpose
- The reason a text or recording was produced, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct; it shapes tone and structure.
- Cognate
- A word with a shared origin and similar form and meaning across languages, such as Spanish 'familia' and English 'family'.
- Listening for gist
- Identifying the overall meaning of an oral passage before details; it relies on stress, intonation, and discourse markers.
- Paraphrase in answer choices
- A restatement of the passage's meaning using different words; correct interpretive answers often paraphrase rather than repeat exact wording.
- Tú
- Informal singular Spanish pronoun used with peers, family, and children; its verb forms differ from formal usted forms.
- Usted
- Formal singular Spanish pronoun used to show respect to strangers, elders, or superiors; it takes third-person verb forms.
- Vosotros
- Informal plural Spanish pronoun used mainly in Spain; in Latin America, ustedes generally serves as the plural form.
- Circumlocution
- Describing an unknown word with known vocabulary, such as saying 'the thing you use to cut' for 'knife', to keep communication going.
- Repair strategy
- A conversational move such as asking for repetition, clarification, or rephrasing when meaning breaks down between speakers.
- Turn-taking marker
- A discourse word like 'pues', 'bueno', or 'entonces' that manages the flow of conversation rather than adding factual content.
- Conditional politeness
- Using forms such as '¿Podría...?' or 'quisiera' to make requests sound more polite and less direct than present-tense forms.
- Double negative
- A grammatical pattern in Spanish where 'no' combines with words like 'nada' or 'nadie', as in 'No veo nada', without canceling meaning.
- Formal greeting
- A greeting such as 'Buenos días' or 'Mucho gusto' used with unfamiliar or respected interlocutors; it often includes usted.
- Negotiation of meaning
- The interactive process by which speakers clarify, confirm, and adjust language until both understand the message.
- Cultural appropriateness
- Choosing language and behavior that fit the target culture's norms, such as greeting with a handshake or a kiss on the cheek depending on region.
- Thesis statement
- A concise claim that states the main argument of a presentational text and is supported throughout the body.
- Cohesive devices
- Linking words and phrases such as 'sin embargo', 'además', and 'en conclusión' that connect ideas and show logical relationships.
- Narrative arc
- The structure of a story in three parts: planteamiento (setup), nudo (conflict), and desenlace (resolution).
- Compare and contrast markers
- Expressions such as 'mientras que', 'a diferencia de', and 'al igual que' that signal similarities and differences between ideas.
- Formal written register
- A style using usted, complete forms, precise vocabulary, and impersonal constructions, appropriate for essays, letters, and reports.
- Cultural products
- Tangible or expressive creations of a culture, such as food, art, music, and literature, used as evidence in presentational tasks.
- Cultural practices
- Routines and behaviors a culture performs, such as greetings, celebrations, and meal customs, which can illustrate cultural perspectives.
- Cultural perspectives
- The values, beliefs, and attitudes underlying a culture's products and practices, such as collectivism or respect for elders.
- Self-correction
- A speaker's repair of an error during a presentation; brief, fluent correction preserves coherence better than long pauses.
- Audience awareness
- Adjusting vocabulary, tone, and examples to the intended listeners or readers, a key criterion in presentational speaking and writing.