GED RLA Exam Flashcards

Q: What is the passing score for the GED RLA test?

The passing score for GED Reasoning Through Language Arts is 145 on the 100-200 scale. Scores of 165-174 earn the GED College Ready designation, and scores of 175 or above earn GED College Ready + Credit, which can translate into college credit at participating institutions.

Q: How long is the GED RLA test and how is it structured?

The GED RLA test is 150 minutes total. It is divided into Section 1 (~35 minutes of reading and language questions), Section 2 (a 45-minute Extended Response essay), a 10-minute break, and Section 3 (~60 minutes of reading and language questions).

Q: What kinds of reading passages appear on the GED RLA?

About 75% of passages are informational texts (workplace documents, science articles, social studies content, and U.S. founding documents). The remaining 25% are literary texts (fiction, poetry, drama, and memoir). All questions are passage-based.

Q: How is the GED RLA Extended Response essay scored?

The essay is scored on three traits: argument development, evidence use, and language conventions. Each trait is scored 0-2 for a maximum of 6 raw points before being scaled. The essay accounts for about 20% of the total RLA score and asks which of two paired passages is better supported by evidence, not which side you personally agree with.

Q: What are the GED RLA retake rules?

After a failed in-person subject test, GED Testing Service allows two retests with no waiting period between them. After a third or later failed attempt, a 60-day wait applies before testing that subject again. Online retakes are stricter: after two failed online attempts in a subject, a 60-day wait applies before the next online attempt.

Q: What does the GED RLA test cost?

The typical fee is approximately $36 per subject in most states, but the price varies by jurisdiction. Some states subsidize or fully fund the test. Always confirm your jurisdiction's fee and eligibility rules on GED.com before scheduling.

Question 1

Main idea

Accepted Answer

The single point a whole passage is making. It lives in the thesis or topic sentence, not in any one detail. Test yourself: if a sentence only covers one example, it is a supporting detail, not the main idea.

Question 2

Implied main idea

Accepted Answer

A main idea the author never writes as one sentence. You infer it by combining the key points. Common in narrative or descriptive passages; look for the one sentence that could serve as a title for the whole text.

Question 3

Explicit detail

Accepted Answer

A fact stated directly in the text. The correct answer is verbatim or near-verbatim from the passage. Contrast with inference, which requires connecting text to logic rather than pointing at one line.

Question 4

Inference

Accepted Answer

A conclusion the text supports but does not state outright. Must be true if the passage is true, and cannot depend on outside facts the passage does not supply. If your answer needs personal knowledge to be correct, it is too far.

Question 5

Summary vs. paraphrase

Accepted Answer

A summary condenses the main idea and key effects into one short statement and drops minor details. A paraphrase restates line-by-line at similar length. GED summary items reward capturing what matters, not rewording everything.

Question 6

Cause-and-effect text structure

Accepted Answer

Points are organized as causes and their results. Signal words include because, therefore, as a result, and consequently. A shift in structure often signals a new claim or counterpoint.

Question 7

Chronological text structure

Accepted Answer

Events are presented in time order. Signal words include first, then, next, and finally. Common in historical passages and procedures; useful for sequence-of-events and timeline items.

Question 8

Point of view (literary)

Accepted Answer

The perspective a text is narrated from. First person uses I/we, second person uses you, third person uses he/she/they. Perspective controls what the reader can and cannot know; a first-person narrator may be biased or uninformed.

Question 9

Claim

Accepted Answer

The author's main position on an issue; the sentence the rest of the argument tries to prove. Often appears as a thesis or topic sentence. Identifying the claim is step one in any RLA argument-analysis item.

Question 10

Evidence

Accepted Answer

The facts, statistics, examples, or quoted expert statements used to back a claim. An argument is only as strong as the evidence tied to it; unsupported assertions score poorly on the Extended Response.

Question 11

Fact vs. opinion

Accepted Answer

A fact can be verified (the temperature was 92°F); an opinion is a judgment (it was too hot). GED items ask which statement is which and which opinion is best supported by verifiable facts.

Question 12

Counterargument

Accepted Answer

An opposing view the author acknowledges before rebutting. Its presence signals a stronger, more balanced argument because the author does not ignore the other side. Its absence can expose a one-sided or weak argument.

Question 13

Assumption

Accepted Answer

An unstated belief an argument depends on. If the assumption is false, the argument collapses even if the evidence is real. Identifying assumptions is a high-value RLA skill for evaluating paired passages.

Question 14

Ad hominem

Accepted Answer

A logical fallacy that attacks the person rather than the argument. It weakens credibility because the speaker's character does not determine whether the evidence is sound. GED items may ask why a piece of reasoning is flawed.

Question 15

Context clues

Accepted Answer

Surrounding words that hint at a word's meaning. Types include definition, synonym, antonym, example, and contrast. The GED tests this skill rather than memorized dictionary definitions.

Question 16

Connotation

Accepted Answer

The emotional associations of a word beyond its literal meaning. Thrifty and cheap share a denotation but differ in connotation. Tone questions hinge on recognizing connotative differences.

Question 17

Denotation

Accepted Answer

The literal dictionary meaning of a word, independent of emotional coloring. Paired with connotation to analyze word choice; authors pick synonyms for connotation, not just denotation.

Question 18

Domain-specific vocabulary

Accepted Answer

Words used with a precise meaning inside one field, such as migration in ecology versus politics. The passage usually defines or contexts these terms; rely on the surrounding sentence, not the everyday meaning.

Question 19

Multiple-meaning word

Accepted Answer

A word with more than one dictionary sense, such as scale or draft. The correct meaning on the GED is the one the surrounding sentence uses, not the most common one. Read the whole sentence before choosing.

Question 20

Simile

Accepted Answer

A comparison using like or as, for example as brave as a lion. Distinct from metaphor, which calls one thing another thing without those cue words. Similes are softer comparisons; metaphors assert identity.

Question 21

Metaphor

Accepted Answer

A direct comparison that says one thing IS another, such as the classroom was a zoo. Stronger than a simile because it implies identity rather than resemblance; common in poetry and memoir on the RLA.

Question 22

Personification

Accepted Answer

Giving human traits to non-human things, such as the wind whispered. Signals tone and mood, and is frequently tested on RLA literary passages because it shapes the reader's emotional response.

Question 23

Allusion

Accepted Answer

A reference to a well-known text, event, or person. The author assumes the reader recognizes it; missing the reference loses a layer of meaning but not always the main idea. Common in historical and literary passages.

Question 24

Hyperbole

Accepted Answer

Deliberate exaggeration for effect, not meant literally, such as I have a million things to do. Common in memoir and fiction; often signals humor, emphasis, or frustration rather than a verifiable claim.

Question 25

Author's purpose

Accepted Answer

The reason a text was written, usually to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain. Identified by looking at content and word choice across the whole passage, not just the title. A how-to passage is explain; an op-ed is persuade.

Question 26

Tone

Accepted Answer

The author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice. Examples include critical, objective, ironic, and admiring. Different from mood, which is the feeling the reader takes away.

Question 27

Mood

Accepted Answer

The emotional atmosphere the reader feels. Created by setting, diction, and imagery. Differs from tone, which is the author's attitude; mood is the effect on the audience.

Question 28

Bias

Accepted Answer

A slant toward one side of an issue. Detected through loaded words, one-sided evidence, and omitted counterarguments. Informational texts should minimize it; opinion pieces may use it openly.

Question 29

Run-on sentence

Accepted Answer

Two complete sentences joined with no punctuation or only a coordinating conjunction. Fix with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, so).

Question 30

Comma splice

Accepted Answer

Two complete sentences joined by only a comma. A common GED editing error. Fix it the same way as a run-on: a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

Question 31

Sentence fragment

Accepted Answer

An incomplete sentence missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought. Common in drafts. Fix by attaching the fragment to a neighboring sentence or by adding the missing element.

Question 32

Parallel structure

Accepted Answer

Using the same grammatical form for items in a series. She likes hiking, swimming, and biking is parallel; she likes hiking, swimming, and to bike is not. Tested heavily on RLA editing items.

Question 33

Dangling modifier

Accepted Answer

A modifier with no logical subject to attach to. Walking home, the rain started implies the rain was walking. Fix by naming the actor right after the opening phrase: Walking home, I felt the rain start.

Question 34

Misplaced modifier

Accepted Answer

A modifier placed next to the wrong noun. I saw a dog on the way to school with three legs reads as if the school has three legs. Fix by moving the modifier next to the word it should describe.

Question 35

Subject-verb agreement

Accepted Answer

The verb must match the subject in number. Singular subjects take singular verbs. Collective nouns (team, jury) and most indefinite pronouns (each, everyone) take singular verbs; this is a top-tested RLA rule.

Question 36

Pronoun case

Accepted Answer

Subject pronouns (I, he, who) do actions; object pronouns (me, him, whom) receive actions. Test who vs. whom by substituting he or him: if he fits, use who; if him fits, use whom.

Question 37

Pronoun-antecedent agreement

Accepted Answer

A pronoun must match its antecedent in number and gender. Singular they is accepted for a person of unspecified gender; for a clearly singular antecedent like each student, traditional agreement uses his or her, not their.

Question 38

Verb tense consistency

Accepted Answer

Stay in one tense unless a shift is intentional. Switching between past and present without a reason is a common GED error. Fix by aligning tense to the time frame of the passage as a whole.

Question 39

Past perfect tense

Accepted Answer

Used for an action completed before another past action. Formed with had plus the past participle: she had finished before I arrived. Signals sequence in narrative; often tested alongside chronological structure.

Question 40

Indefinite pronouns

Accepted Answer

Words like each, everyone, anyone, somebody, and nobody. They usually take singular verbs: everyone is, not everyone are. A high-frequency agreement rule on RLA editing items.

Question 41

Comma in a series

Accepted Answer

Separates three or more items. The GED accepts both a, b, and c (Oxford comma) and a, b and c. Consistency within a passage matters more than which style you pick.

Question 42

Semicolon

Accepted Answer

Joins two complete sentences without a conjunction, and separates items in a series when those items already contain commas. Stronger than a comma, weaker than a period. A semicolon never separates a sentence from a fragment.

Question 43

Apostrophe for possession

Accepted Answer

Use 's for a singular possessor (the dog's bone) and s' for a plural possessor ending in s (the dogs' bone). Distinguish from contractions: it's means it is, while its means belonging to it.

Question 44

Quotation marks

Accepted Answer

Enclose direct speech and exact text from a source. Do NOT use them for paraphrases or indirect quotations. In U.S. convention, commas and periods go inside the closing mark; colons and semicolons go outside.

Question 45

Capitalization

Accepted Answer

Required for proper nouns, the first word of a sentence, and titles. Common GED errors include capitalizing common nouns (the Manager) and missing capitalization on proper adjectives (french fries, victorian era).

Question 46

Affect vs. effect

Accepted Answer

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence; effect is usually a noun meaning result. Test by substituting influence or result: if influence fits, use affect; if result fits, use effect.

Question 47

Than vs. then

Accepted Answer

Than compares (faster than) and then sequences (first, then). They look alike but have unrelated meanings; swapping them changes what the sentence says and is a common RLA trap.

Question 48

Whose vs. who's

Accepted Answer

Whose shows possession. Who's is a contraction of who is or who has. Test by expanding the contraction: if who is does not fit, use whose. The same pattern applies to its vs. it's.

Question 49

Extended Response trait scoring

Accepted Answer

The GED essay is scored on three traits: argument development, evidence use, and conventions. Each trait runs 0-2 for up to 6 raw points before scaling. Strong answers use both passages, cite evidence, and avoid relying on personal opinion.

Question 50

Evidence-based argument (Extended Response)

Accepted Answer

The essay asks which passage is better supported, not which side you personally agree with. Pick the stronger argument and defend it using text evidence, not personal experience. Off-topic or opinion-only essays cap at low trait scores.

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