Your FREE ParaPathways (ETS 5757) Flashcards 2026 – 300+ Cards

The central point of a passage — what the whole text is mostly about, which every paragraph helps develop.

A fact, example, statistic, or reason that explains or proves the main idea.

A short restatement of a text's main idea and key points in your own words, leaving out minor details.

The chief reason a text was written — usually to inform, persuade, or entertain.

A sentence, often first in a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main point.

A conclusion a reader draws from clues in the text plus reasoning, when the author does not state it directly.

An idea a text suggests without saying it outright; the reader must work it out from the evidence.

Combining several details in a text to reach a judgment the text supports but does not state.

Information the text states directly, in so many words.

Information the reader must infer because the text only suggests it.

Nearby words, phrases, or sentences that help a reader work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word.

A context clue in which the sentence itself explains the unfamiliar word, often after a comma or 'which means'.

A context clue signaled by words such as but, however, or unlike, showing the unknown word means the opposite of a nearby idea.

A context clue in which examples (often after 'such as') reveal what an unfamiliar word means.

A word part added to the beginning of a root that changes its meaning, such as un-, re-, pre-, or mis-.

A word part added to the end of a root that changes its meaning or part of speech, such as -less, -ful, or -tion.

The core part of a word that carries its basic meaning, such as port (carry) in transport.

The smallest unit of meaning in a word; un-, break, and -able are the three morphemes in unbreakable.

A word's literal, dictionary meaning.

The feelings or associations a word carries beyond its literal meaning, such as thrifty (positive) versus stingy (negative).

A word with more than one definition, such as bank (a river's edge or a place that keeps money); context shows which applies.

An alphabetical list of a book's key terms with short definitions, usually at the back.

A digital reference tool that gives a word's definitions, pronunciation, part of speech, and often audio.

The ability to read with accuracy, at an appropriate rate, and with expression — the three components ETS names.

Reading the words correctly, without skipping, adding, or substituting words.

How quickly a student reads connected text; fluent rate is conversational, not as fast as possible.

Reading with appropriate phrasing, pausing, stress, and intonation that match the meaning.

A fluency measure that counts words read correctly in one minute, combining accuracy and rate.

A fluency practice in which a student rereads the same short passage several times to build speed and smoothness.

A fluency routine in which an adult reads a line aloud and the student immediately repeats it, copying the phrasing.

A group reads the same text aloud together, which supports less fluent readers with a model.

Recognizing words quickly and effortlessly, which frees attention for understanding.

The author's attitude toward the subject, shown through word choice (for example humorous, sad, angry, lighthearted).

The feeling a text creates in the reader.

The specific words an author selects, which shape a text's meaning and tone.

Words used beyond their literal meaning to create an effect, such as similes, metaphors, and personification.

A comparison using like or as: 'The house groaned like an old man.'

A comparison that says one thing is another without like or as: 'The classroom was a zoo.'

Giving human qualities to something nonhuman: 'The wind whispered through the trees.'

Saying the opposite of what one means, often to mock, such as 'Oh, wonderful' when something goes wrong.

The way an author organizes ideas: problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, or description.

A text structure that presents an issue and then one or more ways to resolve it.

A text structure that explains why something happened and what resulted; signal words include because and as a result.

A text structure that shows how two or more things are alike and different; signal words include similarly and however.

A text structure that presents events or steps in time order; signal words include first, next, and finally.

A text structure that presents the features or characteristics of a topic.

Transition words that reveal a text's structure, such as because (cause/effect) or unlike (compare/contrast).

The reason an author writes a text: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.

The author's background, beliefs, and viewpoint, which shape what the text includes and how it says it.

The position or opinion an author takes on a topic.

A one-sided leaning that can lead an author to include only details that favor a view.

A statement that can be checked and proven true or false.

A statement of belief, feeling, or judgment that cannot be proven true or false.

Writing meant to convince readers to believe or do something, often with emotional appeals and loaded words.

Nonfiction writing that explains facts about a topic.

Maps, tables, diagrams, charts, and graphs that present information visually alongside text.

The box on a map that explains what each symbol, line, or color stands for.

The part of a map that shows how map distance relates to real distance, such as 1 inch = 5 miles.

The words along a graph's axis that tell what quantity and unit the axis measures.

Data arranged in rows and columns so values can be compared quickly.

A labeled drawing that shows the parts of something or how a process works.

Specific points, statistics, facts, direct quotations, or comparisons from a text that support a claim.

Evidence that directly relates to a claim and helps prove it.

A statement an author argues is true and supports with evidence.

An argument whose evidence is relevant and sufficient and logically supports its claim.

A brief personal story; as evidence it is weaker than data because it describes a single case.

Awareness that spoken language is made of units — words, syllables, onsets and rimes, and individual sounds.

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.

The smallest unit of sound in spoken language; /b/ and /p/ are the phonemes that make bat and pat different words.

A word part with one vowel sound; dog has one syllable and apple has two.

Combining separate sounds into a word, such as /k/ /a/ /t/ → cat.

Breaking a spoken word into its separate sounds, such as sun → /s/ /u/ /n/.

Changing one sound in a word to make a new word, such as mat → sat.

Words that share the same ending sound, such as cat, hat, and flat.

The first consonant sound(s) of a syllable (onset) and the vowel and what follows (rime): in 'cat', c + at.

Instruction in the relationships between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) used to decode words.

A letter or group of letters that represents one sound, such as sh or igh.

Using letter-sound knowledge to read (sound out) a written word.

Two consonants that together make one sound, such as sh, ch, th, wh, and ph.

Two or three consonants whose sounds are each heard, such as bl, st, and str.

Two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound, such as ea, ai, oa, and ee.

A final e that is not pronounced and makes the earlier vowel say its name, as in kite and cake.

A vowel followed by r that changes its sound, as in car, her, bird, and fork.

A vowel sound as in cat, bed, sit, hot, and cup, typical of closed CVC syllables.

A vowel that says its name, as in cake, feet, kite, boat, and cute.

A common word students learn to recognize instantly, often because it does not follow regular patterns (the, of, said).

A word made of two smaller words, such as sunflower; splitting it helps a student decode it.

A conversation in which students talk about a text and support their ideas with evidence from it.

Pointing to the specific line or detail in a text that supports what a student says.

A question with more than one reasonable answer that invites students to explain their thinking.

A prompt such as 'I agree with ___, and I would add...' that helps students join a discussion.

The accepted rules of usage, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling in formal writing.

A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb; ignore phrases between them.

A pronoun such as each, everyone, nobody, or either that does not refer to a specific person; most are singular.

A pronoun must match the noun it replaces (its antecedent) in number and gender.

The noun a pronoun refers back to.

The form a pronoun takes for its job: subjective (I, he, who), objective (me, him, whom), or possessive (my, his, whose).

Who is a subject (Who called?); whom is an object, often after a preposition (To whom?).

A pronoun ending in -self or -selves used when the subject acts on itself: 'I taught myself.'

A pronoun that could refer to more than one noun, making the sentence unclear.

Keeping verbs in the same time frame unless the meaning requires a change.

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

Two or more independent clauses joined with no punctuation or conjunction.

Two independent clauses joined by only a comma.

A group of words with a subject and a verb that can stand alone as a sentence.

A clause that has a subject and verb but cannot stand alone, often starting with because, although, or when.

For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so — with a comma, they join two independent clauses.

A transition such as however, therefore, or moreover; between two clauses it takes a semicolon before and a comma after.

Punctuation that joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction.

Punctuation that follows a complete clause to introduce a list, an explanation, or a quotation.

The comma before and or or in a list of three or more items: red, white, and blue.

A comma that follows an introductory word, phrase, or clause: 'After the assembly, we returned.'

Punctuation that shows possession (the teacher's desk) or a contraction (don't) — never a simple plural.

For a plural noun ending in s, add only an apostrophe: the teachers' lounge.

Punctuation that encloses a speaker's or author's exact words; in American usage commas and periods go inside.

The name of a specific person, place, or thing, which is capitalized (Grand Canyon National Park).

Its shows possession (the dog wagged its tail); it's means it is or it has.

Their shows ownership, there names a place, and they're means they are.

Affect is usually a verb (to influence); effect is usually a noun (a result).

Then refers to time; than is used in comparisons (bigger than).

Fewer is for things you can count (fewer students); less is for amounts you cannot count (less water).

To shows direction, too means also or excessively, and two is the number 2.

Two negative words in one clause (don't have no), which standard English avoids.

Using the same grammatical form for items in a series or comparison: hiking, swimming, and biking.

A describing word or phrase placed so it seems to modify the wrong word.

An opening phrase with no clear word to describe: 'Running to the bus, my backpack fell open.'

Writing whose ideas are logically ordered and clearly connected, so it reads as one unified piece.

Every sentence in a paragraph relates to the paragraph's main idea; off-topic sentences break unity.

Words such as first, however, furthermore, and as a result that show how ideas connect.

Writing that says what it means without unnecessary words, such as 'because' instead of 'due to the fact that'.

Writing that uses complete sentences, precise words, and no slang — appropriate for letters to a principal.

The readers a piece of writing is meant for, which shapes its style and word choice.

The stages of producing writing: planning (prewriting), drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

The writing stage for generating and organizing ideas with lists, webs, or outlines before drafting.

The writing stage for turning planned ideas into sentences and paragraphs without worrying about perfection.

Improving a draft's ideas, organization, and clarity — adding, removing, moving, or substituting content.

Correcting a draft's conventions: capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling.

Sharing a finished piece of writing with an audience.

A planning tool that arranges main ideas and supporting details in order before drafting.

Classmates reading each other's drafts and giving feedback, usually to guide revision.

A trustworthy source such as a peer-reviewed journal article, an .edu site, or a .gov site, with a named author and date.

An unreliable source such as a social media post, an anonymous blog, or a tabloid.

A publication whose articles are checked by experts in the field before they are published.

A U.S. government website; generally a credible source for official data and laws.

A website of an educational institution such as a university; generally more credible than a personal blog.

An original, firsthand record such as a diary, a speech, a photograph, or the text of a law.

A work that interprets or summarizes primary sources, such as a textbook or an encyclopedia article.

A brief note in the text, such as (Garcia, 2021, p. 14), showing where a quotation or idea came from.

A source's exact words, placed in quotation marks and cited.

A long quotation (typically more than about four lines) set off as an indented block without quotation marks.

Restating a source's idea in your own words and sentence structure — it still needs a citation.

Three dots showing that words have been left out of a quotation.

Presenting someone else's words or ideas as your own without credit.

An opposing view that a strong argument acknowledges and answers.

The explanation that connects evidence to a claim, showing why the evidence proves the point.

Evidence from a person with professional knowledge of the topic, such as a pediatrician on child health.

A numerical fact from data, such as 'nearly 70 percent of students surveyed'.

A title for a section of an informational text that previews the topic of that section.

A short explanation under a photo or graphic telling what it shows.

Dark type that signals a key term, often defined in the text or a glossary.

An alphabetical list of topics at the back of a book with the pages where each appears.

The sequence of events in a story: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

The time and place in which a story happens.

A person, animal, or figure who takes part in a story's events.

The reason behind a character's actions.

The central message or lesson about life that a story conveys.

The problem or struggle the main character faces.

The turning point of a story, when tension is highest.

The part of a story, after the climax, where the conflict is settled.

A story told by a character in the story, using I and me.

A story told by a narrator outside the story, using he, she, and they.

Using technology safely, respectfully, and responsibly, including protecting privacy and crediting sources.

Using AI tools only as the teacher allows, saying how they were used, and checking their output against credible sources.

An online file several people can edit; responsible collaboration uses comments and suggestions instead of deleting others' work.

A whole number or its opposite, including zero: …, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, …

A number's distance from zero on the number line; |−7| = 7.

Subtract the absolute values and keep the sign of the number with the larger absolute value: −8 + 15 = 7.

Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its opposite: 6 − (−9) = 6 + 9 = 15.

Same signs give a positive result; different signs give a negative result.

The number the same distance from zero on the other side; the opposite of 4 is −4, and they sum to 0.

The top number of a fraction; it counts how many equal parts are taken.

The bottom number of a fraction; it tells how many equal parts make one whole.

Fractions that name the same amount, such as 2/5 and 4/10.

A fraction whose numerator and denominator share no common factor other than 1, such as 3/4.

A shared denominator needed before adding or subtracting fractions: 2/3 + 1/4 = 8/12 + 3/12.

The smallest number both denominators divide into evenly; for 1/4 and 1/6 it is 12.

Multiply the numerators and multiply the denominators: 3/4 × 2/5 = 6/20 = 3/10.

Keep the first fraction, change ÷ to ×, and flip the second: 2/3 ÷ 4/9 = 2/3 × 9/4 = 3/2.

The number you multiply by to get 1; the reciprocal of 4/9 is 9/4.

A whole number plus a fraction, such as 2 1/2.

A fraction whose numerator is greater than or equal to its denominator, such as 5/4 = 1 1/4.

The value of a digit based on its position; in 4,862.37 the 3 is in the tenths place (0.3).

The first digit to the right of the decimal point.

The second digit to the right of the decimal point.

Line up the decimal points, then add as with whole numbers: 4.50 + 2.75 = 7.25.

Multiply as whole numbers, then give the product as many decimal places as the factors have in total: 0.6 × 0.4 = 0.24.

Move the decimal point in the divisor and dividend the same number of places to make the divisor whole: 7.2 ÷ 0.3 = 72 ÷ 3.

Look at the digit to the right of the place you are rounding to; 5 or more rounds up, 4 or less rounds down.

A ratio out of 100; 25% means 25 per 100, or 0.25.

Change the percent to a decimal and multiply: 15% of 80 = 0.15 × 80 = 12.

Divide the part by the whole and multiply by 100: 18 ÷ 72 = 0.25 = 25%.

(new − old) ÷ old × 100; from 2,000 to 2,300 is a 15% increase.

(old − new) ÷ old × 100; always divide by the original amount.

The amount taken off a price; a 25% discount on $40 is $10, so the sale price is $30.

Multiply by 100 and add a percent sign: 0.08 = 8%.

Divide the numerator by the denominator: 3/8 = 3 ÷ 8 = 0.375.

1/2 = 0.5 = 50%, 1/4 = 0.25 = 25%, 3/4 = 0.75 = 75%, 1/5 = 0.2 = 20%, 1/10 = 0.1 = 10%.

A line on which numbers are placed in order; values increase to the right.

Compare digit by digit from the left: 0.7 > 0.699 because 7 tenths is more than 6 tenths.

A number written as the sum of its digits' values: 5,307.09 = 5,000 + 300 + 7 + 0.09.

The result of addition.

The result of subtraction.

The result of multiplication.

The result of division; the quotient of 48 and 6 is 8.

A number that divides another number with no remainder; 4 is a factor of 12.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number; 12 is a multiple of 4.

The symbol meaning 'is not equal to', as in 3 ≠ 4.

< means is less than and > means is greater than; the open side faces the larger number.

A small raised number telling how many times the base is used as a factor: 2⁵ = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 32.

The number being multiplied repeatedly in a power; in 3⁴ the base is 3.

Any nonzero number raised to the zero power equals 1: 7⁰ = 1.

When multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents: 4² × 4³ = 4⁵.

A number that is a whole number times itself, such as 49 = 7².

Parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Multiplication and division have equal rank, as do addition and subtraction — work each pair left to right: 12 ÷ 3 × 2 = 8.

A letter that stands for an unknown number, such as n in n + 12 = 30.

A math phrase with numbers, variables, and operations but no equals sign, such as 25 + 5g.

A math sentence with an equals sign stating that two expressions have the same value.

The number multiplied by a variable; in 7t the coefficient is 7.

Reverses the order: '5 less than a number n' is n − 5, not 5 − n.

A comparison of two quantities with different units, such as 55 miles per hour.

Distance equals rate times time: 55 mph for 3.5 hours is 192.5 miles.

Two equal ratios; 3 eggs per 2 cups of flour means 12 eggs for 8 cups.

Operations that undo each other: addition and subtraction, multiplication and division.

Use inverse operations on both sides to isolate the variable: 3x + 7 = 22 → 3x = 15 → x = 5.

a(b + c) = ab + ac; 2(m + 3) = 2m + 6.

Substitute the answer back into the original equation to see whether both sides are equal.

The amount of time that passes between a start and an end time; count to the next hour first (9:45 to 11:10 is 1 h 25 min).

60 minutes = 1 hour; 2.5 hours = 150 minutes.

The minute hand counts by fives from 12 (pointing to 8 means 40 minutes); the hour hand shows the hour.

The amount of space a liquid takes up, measured in units such as cups, quarts, gallons, milliliters, or liters.

How much matter an object contains, measured in grams and kilograms.

How heavy an object is, measured in ounces, pounds, and tons in U.S. customary units.

A reasonable approximate measurement, such as a door about 2 meters tall or a paper clip about 1 inch long.

About the height of a doorknob from the floor, or a little more than a yard.

About the mass of a paper clip.

About the capacity of a large water bottle.

12 inches = 1 foot.

3 feet = 1 yard.

5,280 feet = 1 mile.

16 ounces = 1 pound.

2,000 pounds = 1 ton.

4 cups = 1 quart (2 cups = 1 pint, 2 pints = 1 quart).

4 quarts = 1 gallon.

Kilo- = 1,000, centi- = 1/100, milli- = 1/1,000; each metric step is a power of 10.

1,000 meters = 1 kilometer.

100 centimeters = 1 meter; 1 centimeter = 10 millimeters.

1,000 grams = 1 kilogram.

1,000 milliliters = 1 liter.

Multiply — a smaller unit takes more of them: 4 feet × 12 = 48 inches.

Divide — a larger unit takes fewer of them: 72 inches ÷ 12 = 6 feet.

A closed flat figure made of straight sides.

A polygon whose sides are all equal and whose angles are all equal.

A four-sided polygon; its angles add up to 360°.

A quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides.

A parallelogram with four right angles.

A rectangle with four equal sides — it is also a rhombus.

A parallelogram with four equal sides; its angles need not be right angles.

A quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel sides (the definition most U.S. elementary programs use).

Polygons with 5, 6, and 8 sides.

The three angles of any triangle add up to 180°.

A triangle with three equal sides and three 60° angles.

A triangle with at least two equal sides.

A triangle with no equal sides.

A triangle with one 90° angle.

An acute angle is less than 90°; an obtuse angle is greater than 90° but less than 180°.

The distance around a figure — add all the side lengths (rectangle: 2l + 2w).

The amount of surface a flat figure covers, in square units.

A = length × width.

A = ½ × base × height.

A = side × side = s².

The amount of space a solid figure takes up, in cubic units.

V = length × width × height.

The total area of all the faces of a solid; a rectangular prism's is 2(lw + lh + wh).

The distance around a circle: C = 2πr = πd.

A = πr².

Area is measured in square units (m²) and volume in cubic units (m³); a length alone uses plain units (m).

A grid formed by a horizontal x-axis and a vertical y-axis that locate points with ordered pairs.

Two numbers giving a point's location: move across by x first, then up or down by y.

The point (0, 0) where the x-axis and y-axis cross.

The horizontal number line on the coordinate plane.

The vertical number line on the coordinate plane; every point on it has x = 0.

The four regions of the coordinate plane: I (+, +), II (−, +), III (−, −), IV (+, −).

A collection of values, such as test scores or daily temperatures.

Data that describes a single quantity, such as a list of heights.

Data that relates two quantities, such as temperature by hour, often shown on a line or bar graph.

The average: the sum of the values divided by how many values there are.

The middle value of an ordered data set; with an even count, the mean of the two middle values.

The value that occurs most often in a data set; a set can have no mode or more than one.

The spread of a data set: greatest value minus least value.

A value far from the rest of the data; it pulls the mean toward it much more than the median.

A table that shows how many times each value or category occurs.

A graph that compares amounts across categories with bars of different lengths.

A graph that shows how a quantity changes over time, with points connected by line segments.

A graph that shows parts of a whole as slices; the whole circle is 100% (360°).

A graph that uses symbols to show counts; the key tells what one symbol represents.

A bar graph that compares two groups side by side for each category, with a legend telling which color is which.

The value between gridlines on a graph's axis; each gridline may stand for 1, 5, 20, or another amount.