TABE cheat sheet

Main idea is the central point the whole passage supports; every paragraph should relate back to it, and it is often stated in the first or last sentence.

Supporting details answer who, what, when, where, why, or how, and each one can be traced to a specific sentence in the passage.

An inference is a conclusion the text implies but never states directly; it must be defensible using evidence actually printed in the passage.

A fact can be verified; an opinion expresses judgment or feeling and often contains words such as best, should, seems, or too.

Context clue types: definition (is, means), example (such as, for instance), contrast (but, however, unlike), and restatement.

Cause answers why something happened; effect answers what happened as a result; signal words include because, since, therefore, and as a result.

Sequence words (first, next, then, finally, after) signal chronological order; comparison words (similarly, both, unlike, whereas) signal compare/contrast.

Author's purpose is generally to inform, explain, persuade, or entertain, and the verb used in the question usually names the purpose.

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, revealed by word choice and connotation rather than by the topic alone.

Order of operations: parentheses, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Add or subtract fractions only after rewriting them over a common denominator; to divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal.

Percent relationship: part = percent × whole, so percent = part ÷ whole and whole = part ÷ percent.

Percent change = (new value − old value) ÷ old value × 100; a negative result means a decrease.

Mean = sum of values ÷ number of values; median = middle value of an ordered list; mode = most frequent value.

Area formulas: rectangle A = lw, triangle A = ½bh, circle A = πr²; perimeter is the sum of all side lengths.

A proportion a/b = c/d is solved by cross-multiplying to ad = bc, which isolates the missing value.

Solve an equation by performing the same operation on both sides, undoing addition or subtraction before multiplication or division.

Slope m = (y₂ − y₁)/(x₂ − x₁); a right triangle satisfies a² + b² = c², where c is the hypotenuse opposite the right angle.

Convert units by multiplying by a fraction equal to 1, such as 12 in./1 ft, arranged so unwanted units cancel.

Subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb; ignore prepositional phrases between them.

Pronouns must match their antecedents in number and gender; each, either, everyone, and everybody are singular.

Two independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone (comma splice); use a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a conjunction.

Use an apostrophe plus s for a singular possessive, an apostrophe alone for a plural noun already ending in s, and never to form a plural.

A fragment lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought; a run-on joins two complete sentences with no punctuation or connector.

Commas set off introductory phrases, separate items in a series, and surround nonessential clauses that could be removed without changing the core meaning.

A modifier must sit next to the word it describes; a dangling modifier has no logical word to attach to in the sentence.

Parallel structure requires items in a list or comparison to share the same grammatical form, such as all -ing verbs or all infinitive phrases.

Capitalize proper nouns, the pronoun I, and the first word of every sentence; do not capitalize ordinary nouns like seasons or school subjects unless they are proper names.