Kent Test flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Its versus it's

'Its' shows possession, as in the dog wagged its tail; 'it's' is short for 'it is' or 'it has'.

Apostrophe for plural possession

For a plural noun ending in s, add the apostrophe after the s, as in the girls' coats rather than the girl's coats.

Fronted adverbial comma

When a sentence opens with an adverbial phrase or clause, place a comma before the main clause, as in 'After lunch, we walked home.'

Subordinating conjunction

A word such as because, although, while or if that introduces a dependent clause and cannot stand alone as a sentence.

Inference in comprehension

A conclusion drawn from clues in the text rather than stated directly; the answer must be supported by evidence from the passage.

Direct speech punctuation

Enclose the spoken words in inverted commas, start the speech with a capital letter, and place the final punctuation inside the closing inverted comma.

Affect versus effect

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning a result, as in the effect of the storm.

Order of operations

Work through brackets, then indices, then division and multiplication from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.

Percentage change

Percentage change equals the change divided by the original amount, multiplied by 100; a decrease gives a negative value.

Sharing in a ratio

Add the ratio parts to find the total number of parts, divide the amount by this total, then multiply by each part.

Area of a triangle

Area of a triangle equals one half multiplied by the base multiplied by the perpendicular height, measured at right angles to the base.

Speed, distance, time

Speed equals distance divided by time; distance equals speed multiplied by time; time equals distance divided by speed.

Mean average

Add all the values together and divide by how many values there are; the mean always lies between the smallest and largest values.

Nth term of linear sequence

For a sequence with constant difference d, the nth term is dn plus a constant found by testing the first term.

Angle facts

Angles on a straight line sum to 180 degrees, angles around a point sum to 360 degrees, and angles in a triangle sum to 180 degrees.

Alphabet number positions

A is 1, B is 2 and so on up to Z as 26; use these positions to test letter codes and shifts.

Atbash mirror code

In a mirror or Atbash code, A swaps with Z, B with Y and C with X, so each letter's position is subtracted from 27.

Letter series differences

Write the alphabet positions of the letters and look at the gaps between them; the gaps often form a repeating or increasing pattern.

Odd one out strategy

Test each option against one shared feature such as word class, meaning, letter count or category, and the option that fails is the answer.

Analogy relationship types

Common links include synonym, antonym, part to whole, object to function and degree, so name the link before choosing the matching pair.

Hidden word spotting

A hidden word may run across two or three adjacent words in the sentence, so read the letters continuously without inserting spaces.

Rotation versus reflection

A rotated shape keeps the same handedness and can be turned back; a reflected shape is a mirror image and cannot be rotated to match the original.

Counting sides and intersections

Count the number of sides, corners, straight lines and crossing points in each figure; changes in these counts usually follow a rule.

Shading pattern rules

Track shading separately from shape and size; common rules include alternating shaded and unshaded, or shading moving one position each step.

Position cycling

Watch where a feature sits, such as corners or edges, and check whether it moves clockwise, anticlockwise or bounces back and forth.

Odd one out in figures

Find a property shared by all but one figure, such as symmetry, number of lines, curvature or shading, and choose the figure that breaks it.

Matrix completion

Check the rule across the rows first, then down the columns; the missing figure must satisfy both directions at once.

Cube net opposite faces

In a cube net, two faces separated by exactly one face in a straight line end up opposite each other, and opposite faces never touch.

Paper folding holes

When paper is folded and punched, the holes mirror across each fold line, so unfold one fold at a time and reflect the holes.

Euler's formula for solids

For any convex polyhedron, faces plus vertices minus edges equals 2, which lets you find a missing count.

Three views of a solid

The front, side and top views each show the outline seen from that direction; hidden blocks still appear in the top view.

Diagonal mirror line

Reflecting across a diagonal mirror line swaps the horizontal and vertical coordinates of each point, turning rows into columns.