PSAT 10 flashcards
PSAT 10 · 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.
- Central idea
- The main point the whole passage develops, stated as a complete sentence that covers the entire text rather than one detail from a single paragraph.
- Command of evidence
- Question type asking which quotation or data point best supports a stated claim; the answer must directly back the claim, not just relate to the topic.
- Words in context
- Question type testing the meaning of a word as used in a specific sentence; substitute each option and keep the one matching the surrounding logic.
- Transition logic
- The relationship between two sentences or clauses, such as contrast, cause and effect, addition, or example; the correct transition word must express that relationship.
- Independent clause
- A group of words with a subject and a conjugated verb that expresses a complete thought; two of them cannot be joined by only a comma.
- Semicolon use
- A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates items in a list that already contain commas; it never follows a dependent clause.
- Colon use
- A colon follows a complete independent clause and introduces an explanation, list, or quotation; it cannot separate a verb from its object.
- Nonessential clause
- A clause adding extra information that can be removed without changing the sentence's core meaning; it is set off by matched commas, dashes, or parentheses.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The verb must match the number of the true subject; ignore prepositional phrases and appositives between them, and watch inverted sentences where the subject follows the verb.
- Rhetorical synthesis
- Question type using bulleted notes to compose a sentence meeting a stated goal, such as emphasizing a similarity or introducing a contrast between sources.
- Quantitative evidence
- Question type requiring accurate reading of a table or graph; check axes, units, and comparison groups before selecting the choice that describes the data.
- Inference question
- Asks for a logical conclusion that follows from the passage; the correct choice must be supported by the text and not go beyond what it establishes.
- Text structure
- The way a passage organizes ideas, such as problem and solution, claim and counterclaim, or chronological narrative; structure questions ask how parts relate.
- Cross-text connection
- Paired-passage question asking how one author would respond to the other; the answer must reflect each author's actual stated position.
- Slope
- The rate of change of a line, computed as rise over run or (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1); in context it is the change in the output per one unit of input.
- Slope-intercept form
- The equation y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept, the value of y when x equals zero.
- Parallel lines
- Two lines with equal slopes but different y-intercepts; as equations in a system they produce no solution because they never intersect.
- Coincident lines
- Two equations describing the same line, usually scalar multiples of each other; the system has infinitely many solutions.
- Quadratic vertex
- For y = ax^2 + bx + c, the vertex's x-coordinate is -b/(2a); substituting it gives the maximum or minimum value of the parabola.
- Discriminant
- The expression b^2 - 4ac in the quadratic formula; positive means two real solutions, zero means one, and negative means no real solutions.
- Factored form
- The form y = a(x - r)(x - s) of a quadratic, where r and s are the x-intercepts because each makes a factor equal zero.
- Vertex form
- The form y = a(x - h)^2 + k, where (h, k) is the vertex of the parabola and x = h is the axis of symmetry.
- Exponential model
- The equation y = a(b)^t, where a is the initial value and b the growth factor per period; b greater than 1 means growth, between 0 and 1 means decay.
- Percent change
- The ratio (new value - old value)/old value multiplied by 100; successive changes compound, so two 10% increases give 21%, not 20%.
- Direct proportion
- A relationship of the form y = kx for a nonzero constant k, so y changes at a constant rate relative to x and the graph passes through the origin.
- Circle formulas
- Area equals pi times the radius squared, and circumference equals 2 pi times the radius; a full circle spans 360 degrees or 2 pi radians.
- Pythagorean theorem
- In a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the legs equals the square of the hypotenuse: a^2 + b^2 = c^2.
- Special right triangles
- In 45-45-90 triangles sides are in ratio 1:1:sqrt(2); in 30-60-90 triangles they are in ratio 1:sqrt(3):2.
- Trigonometric ratios
- In a right triangle, sine is opposite over hypotenuse, cosine is adjacent over hypotenuse, and tangent is opposite over adjacent, all fixed by the angle.
- Mean versus median
- The mean is the sum divided by the count and shifts with outliers; the median is the middle value of ordered data and resists extreme values.
- Standard deviation
- A measure of how spread out data values are around the mean; a larger standard deviation means values are more dispersed.
- Line of best fit
- A line summarizing a scatterplot trend, used to predict values; association between variables does not by itself establish causation.