Free HiSET Reading Exam Flashcards

Return to the relevant sentence and choose the option that accurately restates what the text says. Do not add a motive, cause, or conclusion that the passage does not state.

Substitute each plausible meaning into the sentence, then check the surrounding sentences for tone, action, contrast, or description. The correct meaning must fit that specific context, not merely be a dictionary meaning of the word.

Words with similar definitions can carry different emotional associations. Identify the connotations of the chosen words and ask whether they make the narrator sound admiring, bitter, anxious, playful, detached, or something else supported by the passage.

A good paraphrase preserves the original meaning and relationships while using different wording. It must not narrow, exaggerate, reverse, or add information to the sentence.

It is a conclusion drawn from the character's words, actions, reactions, and circumstances. A valid inference requires specific clues and must not depend on facts outside the passage.

Identify what the character wants, what action the character takes, and what changes after that action. Choose the motive that best explains this evidence, not the motive that would be most dramatic.

Track where the object, place, or image appears and what ideas or emotions surround it. A symbolic meaning must be supported by repeated context; an object is not automatically symbolic simply because it is memorable.

A simile makes an explicit comparison, usually with “like” or “as.” A metaphor directly describes one thing as another. In either case, interpret what shared quality the comparison emphasizes in the passage.

Connotation is the feeling or association a word carries beyond its literal definition. Use those associations and the surrounding tone to decide what an image or phrase suggests.

The topic is the broad subject, such as loyalty or change. The theme is the text's larger insight about that subject, expressed as a complete idea and supported by important events or details.

Look at who narrates and what that narrator can know. First person uses “I”; third-person limited follows one character's perspective; third-person omniscient can reveal the thoughts of multiple characters.

Stage directions supply actions, pauses, movement, setting, or delivery that dialogue alone may not reveal. Use them as evidence about mood, relationships, and a character's unstated feelings.

A flashback interrupts the present sequence to show an earlier event. It can explain a character's motive, reveal background, create contrast, or change how the reader understands the present action.

Tone is the author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject; mood is the feeling the text creates for the reader. Both should be identified from diction, imagery, details, and context.

Situational irony occurs when the outcome meaningfully contrasts with what the circumstances lead the reader or characters to expect. A mere surprise is not necessarily ironic.

Foreshadowing is an earlier detail that hints at a later event or outcome. Its role is established by the connection between the hint and what follows, not by any mysterious detail in isolation.

Combine several relevant events or details into a broader conclusion that all of them support. Reject an answer built on one exception, an absolute claim, or information outside the text.

A sound prediction follows from established character traits, conflicts, patterns, and unresolved events. It should be the most probable next development, not simply a possible dramatic outcome.

State each text's insight about the shared subject, then compare how characters, conflicts, images, or outcomes develop that insight. Similar topics do not automatically mean identical themes.

Compare what each narrator knows, values, notices, and leaves unsaid. Support the difference with details from both texts rather than labeling one narrator reliable or biased without evidence.

Locate the relevant section and match the complete stated fact, including qualifiers such as “some,” “often,” or “under these conditions.” An option that drops a qualifier may overstate the source.

Match the relationships among the ideas, not isolated repeated words. A correct restatement preserves who did what, why it happened, and any limits in the original statement.

Look for a nearby definition, example, contrast, cause, effect, or appositive that explains the term. Confirm that the inferred meaning works everywhere the term is used in the selection.

Denotation is a word's literal meaning; connotation is its associated feeling or judgment. An author can use factually similar words with different connotations to shape a reader's attitude.

Trace the reference to the nearest grammatically and logically compatible noun or idea. Then reread the sentence with that antecedent inserted to confirm that the meaning remains coherent.

Read the title, labels, units, legend, and time period before comparing values. Use the passage to understand the visual's purpose, but do not claim more than the displayed data support.

A valid inference is the conclusion best supported by the passage's facts and reasoning. It may go beyond an explicit sentence, but it cannot contradict the source or require an unsupported assumption.

A stated fact appears explicitly in the text. A conclusion combines one or more stated facts to reach a supported judgment or implication that the author may not state word for word.

Find the missing idea that must be true for the evidence to support the claim. Test it by asking whether the argument still works if that idea is false.

Identify the relevant trend or comparison in the graph, then connect it only to a claim the passage establishes. Neither source should be treated as proving information that appears only in the other.

Use a rule, principle, or relationship stated in the passage to evaluate a new but comparable situation. Confirm that the new case satisfies the conditions of the original principle.

Causation means one factor produces a change in another; correlation means they vary together. Unless the evidence establishes a causal mechanism or controlled comparison, do not turn an association into a cause.

Combine the central subject with the author's most important point about it. The main idea should cover the passage as a whole, not just one example or background paragraph.

An accurate summary states the main idea and essential supporting points in neutral, concise language. It omits minor examples, personal reactions, and conclusions not made by the text.

Ask what the author is trying to accomplish: explain, inform, compare, argue, evaluate, or call for action. Use the passage's claims, evidence, organization, and intended audience as proof.

Identify the position or attitude expressed through claims, selected evidence, emphasis, and wording. Viewpoint must be supported by the text; it is not the reader's opinion about the topic.

A fact is verifiable through evidence; an opinion expresses a judgment, preference, or interpretation. An opinion can be well supported, and a factual-sounding statement can still require verification.

A claim is the conclusion an author wants the reader to accept. Evidence is the fact, example, data, quotation, or observation offered to support that claim.

Relevant evidence directly bears on the specific claim and helps make it more or less credible. An interesting fact about the broad topic is not relevant if it does not support the claim being evaluated.

Sufficient evidence is enough in quantity, quality, and representativeness to justify the claim's scope. One anecdote usually cannot establish a broad conclusion about an entire population.

Chronological structure arranges events or steps in time order. It helps show a sequence, development, process, or historical progression; look for dates and time-transition words.

Cause-and-effect structure explains why something happened and what resulted. Distinguish a contributing cause from an effect, and watch for multiple causes or consequences.

Compare-and-contrast structure organizes similarities and differences between subjects. A comparison may be point by point or may discuss one subject fully before the other.

Problem-and-solution structure defines an issue, proposes one or more responses, and may evaluate their results or tradeoffs. Do not assume every proposed solution is endorsed or proven effective.

Find the broader pattern supported by all the relevant details and match the scope of the conclusion to the evidence. Avoid words such as “always” or “never” unless the text warrants them.

Extend a clearly established trend, process, or cause-and-effect relationship while keeping the same conditions. A prediction is weak if it ignores a limit or introduces a new factor not discussed.

State each author's central claim, then compare the evidence, assumptions, and conclusions used to support it. Authors may agree on facts while differing in interpretation or recommendation.

Identify how each text organizes ideas and explain how that organization advances its purpose. Two texts on the same topic may use chronology, comparison, cause and effect, or problem and solution differently.

Identify what both sources establish, then explain how each source adds, limits, or qualifies the other. Do not force agreement when the evidence supports a real difference.

Locate the precise point of disagreement and compare each source's evidence, definitions, dates, scope, and assumptions. A justified conclusion explains which claim is better supported or acknowledges what cannot be resolved.