Kent Test key terms

A word that means the same, or nearly the same, as another word. For example, "happy" and "glad" are synonyms, so swapping one for the other keeps the meaning of a sentence.

A word with the opposite meaning to another word. "Hot" and "cold", or "begin" and "end", are antonym pairs, and questions often ask you to pick the opposite of a given word.

One of two or more words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as "there", "their" and "they're", or "sea" and "see".

A group of letters added to the front of a root word to change its meaning, as "un-" turns "kind" into "unkind" or "pre-" turns "view" into "preview".

A group of letters added to the end of a root word, often changing its meaning or its word class, as "-less" changes "hope" to "hopeless" and "-ly" turns adjectives into adverbs.

A group of words that contains a subject and a verb. A main clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a subordinate clause cannot and depends on the main clause.

A conclusion you reach by combining clues in a text with what you already know, rather than being told the answer directly. Comprehension questions often ask what you can infer.

A comparison that uses "like" or "as" to describe one thing in terms of another, for example "her laugh was like a bubbling stream" or "as quiet as a mouse".

The value a digit has because of its position in a number. In 4,703 the 4 is worth 4,000 and the 7 is worth 700, so position changes a digit's worth.

A whole number that divides another number exactly, leaving no remainder. The factors of 12 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 because each divides 12 without a remainder.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number. Multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on, so they go on forever and are never smaller than the number itself.

A whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself. 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11 are prime; 1 is not prime and 9 is not because 3 divides it.

A way of writing part of a whole, shown as one number over another. In three-quarters the bottom number says the whole is split into four equal parts and the top says three are taken.

A fraction or proportion expressed out of 100. Fifty per cent means 50 out of every 100, which is the same as one half or the decimal 0.5.

A way of comparing two or more amounts by showing how many times one contains the other. A ratio of 2:3 means for every two of the first there are three of the second.

The average found by adding all the values together and dividing by how many values there are. The mean of 4, 6 and 11 is 21 divided by 3, which is 7.

The total distance all the way around the outside edge of a flat shape. You find it by adding the lengths of every side, so a 5 cm by 3 cm rectangle has perimeter 16 cm.

A pair of words linked by a relationship, such as "bird is to nest as bee is to hive". You must find the same relationship in a second pair.

A question type where several words or numbers are given and one does not share the feature the others have, so you must spot the rule and name the misfit.

A puzzle where letters stand for other letters or numbers according to a rule. You work out the rule from one example and apply it to a new word.

A word made by rearranging all the letters of another word. "Listen" can be rearranged into "silent", and anagram questions ask you to find the hidden word.

A single word made by joining two complete words, such as "sun" plus "flower" giving "sunflower", or "tooth" plus "brush" giving "toothbrush".

A list of numbers that follows a rule, such as adding 3 each time or doubling. You work out the rule from the given terms and use it to find the next one.

The arrangement of words by the position of their letters in the alphabet. Look at the first letter, then the second, and so on, as in a dictionary.

Turning a shape around a fixed point, like a clock hand moving. The shape keeps its size and its shape but faces a different direction.

A mirror image of a shape, flipped across a line so that left and right, or top and bottom, swap over while distances stay the same.

When one half of a shape is an exact mirror image of the other half across a line, or when a shape looks the same after being turned part of the way round.

A row of figures that change step by step according to a rule, for example gaining a side or turning 90 degrees each time, so you can predict the next figure.

A grid of figures in which each row and column follows the same pattern or rule; one square is missing and you choose the figure that completes the grid.

Placing two or more figures on top of each other so that they combine. Parts may be added together, or shared parts may cancel out, depending on the question.

A flat shape that folds up to make a solid, such as the six squares that fold into a cube or the rectangle and circles that make a cylinder.

A view of an object seen from directly above, showing the outline and layout as though you were looking down on it, sometimes called a bird's-eye view.

A view of an object seen straight on from the front or the side, showing its height and width but not its depth.

The flat shape you would see if a solid were sliced straight through. A slice through a cylinder across its width gives a circle.

A puzzle in which a sheet is folded, holes are punched or shapes cut, and you must work out what the paper looks like when opened out again.

Working out how many small cubes make up a stack or solid, including the hidden cubes underneath and behind those you can see.