- Main idea
- The central point a passage conveys — what the whole text is mostly about.
- Supporting detail
- A fact, example, statistic, or reason that explains or develops the main idea.
- Theme
- The deeper message or insight a literary work conveys about life or human nature.
- Author's purpose
- The reason a text was written — to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain.
- Tone
- The author's attitude toward the subject, shown through word choice.
- Mood
- The feeling or atmosphere a text creates in the reader.
- Inference
- A logical conclusion drawn from text evidence plus prior knowledge — not stated outright.
- Literary text
- Imaginative writing — fiction, poetry, and drama — read for theme, character, and language.
- Informational text
- Nonfiction — essays, articles, and reports — that presents facts and arguments.
- Synthesis
- Combining ideas from two or more texts to draw a broader conclusion.
- Vocabulary in context
- Determining a word's meaning from the surrounding sentences, not its common definition.
- Context clue
- A hint in the surrounding text — a definition, example, or contrast — that reveals a word's meaning.
- Connotation
- The emotional or implied meaning of a word, beyond its literal definition.
- Denotation
- The literal, dictionary definition of a word.
- Figurative language
- Language that means more than the literal, such as metaphor, simile, and personification.
- Metaphor
- A comparison that says one thing IS another (e.g., 'time is money'), without 'like' or 'as'.
- Simile
- A comparison using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'brave as a lion').
- Personification
- Giving human traits to a non-human thing (e.g., 'the wind whispered').
- Imagery
- Descriptive language that appeals to the senses to create a vivid picture.
- Text structure
- How a text is organized — cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence, or problem/solution.
- Cause and effect
- A text structure showing how one event leads to another.
- Compare and contrast
- A text structure that shows how two things are alike and different.
- Sequence
- A text structure that presents events or steps in order.
- Topic sentence
- The sentence that states the main point of a paragraph.
- Summary
- A brief restatement of a text's main idea and key points in your own words.
- Point of view
- The perspective from which a text is told — first person (I) or third person (he/she/they).
- Argument
- An author's claim plus the reasons and evidence that support it.
- Claim
- A debatable position an author argues for.
- Evidence
- The facts, examples, or data an author uses to support a claim.
- Counterargument
- A point that opposes the author's claim, often addressed to strengthen the argument.
- Fact vs. opinion
- A fact can be proven; an opinion is a personal belief or judgment.
- Bias
- A one-sided slant that favors a particular view, sometimes hiding other perspectives.
- Drawing a conclusion
- Combining stated details with reasoning to decide what the text means overall.
- Implicit vs. explicit
- Explicit information is stated directly; implicit information must be inferred.
- Genre
- A category of text, such as fiction, poetry, drama, essay, or article.
- Narrator
- The voice that tells a story; may or may not be a character in it.
- Protagonist
- The main character in a literary work.
- Antagonist
- The character or force opposing the protagonist.
- Setting
- The time and place in which a story occurs.
- Plot
- The sequence of events that make up a story.
- Conflict
- The central struggle a character faces, internal or external.
- Characterization
- How an author reveals a character through actions, words, and description.
- Paraphrase
- Restating a passage in your own words while keeping the meaning.
- Primary source
- A firsthand account or original document from the time studied.
- Word root
- The base part of a word that carries its core meaning.
- Prefix
- A word part added to the front of a root that changes its meaning (e.g., un-, re-).
- Suffix
- A word part added to the end of a root, often changing its part of speech (e.g., -ly, -tion).
- Analogy
- A comparison between two pairs of related words or ideas.
- Rhetoric
- The art of using language effectively to persuade or inform an audience.
- Central idea
- The main point of an informational text, supported by details throughout.
- Allusion
- A brief reference to a well-known person, event, or work to add meaning.
- Symbolism
- Using an object or image to represent a larger idea (a dove for peace).
- Irony
- A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens or is meant.
- Hyperbole
- Deliberate exaggeration for effect (e.g., 'I've told you a million times').
- Foreshadowing
- Hints early in a text about events that will happen later.
- Flashback
- A scene that interrupts the present to show an earlier event.
- Dialogue
- The spoken words between characters in a text.
- Stanza
- A grouped set of lines in a poem, like a paragraph in prose.
- Rhyme scheme
- The pattern of end rhymes in a poem (e.g., ABAB).
- Author's viewpoint
- The author's stance or attitude toward the subject of a text.
- Persuasive technique
- A method used to convince readers — appeal to emotion, logic, or authority.
- Logical fallacy
- A flaw in reasoning that weakens an argument.
- Generalization
- A broad statement drawn from specific examples; valid only if well supported.
- Chronological order
- Arranging events in the order they happened in time.
- Problem and solution
- A text structure that presents an issue and then ways to resolve it.
- Heading
- A title for a section that signals what it covers; useful for locating information.
- Caption
- Text explaining a photo, chart, or illustration in a passage.
- Graphic features
- Charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams that present information visually.
- Reading critically
- Evaluating an author's purpose, evidence, and reasoning rather than just absorbing facts.
- Restate the question
- A strategy of answering by addressing exactly what the question asks of the passage.
- Best title
- A title that captures the whole passage's main idea, not just one detail.
- Predicting
- Using clues to anticipate what a passage will say or where an argument is headed.
- Audience
- The intended readers a text is written for, which shapes its tone and content.
- Objective summary
- A summary that states the text's ideas without adding your own opinion.
- Word relationships
- How words connect — synonyms, antonyms, or part-to-whole relationships.
- WritePlacer essay
- The TSIA2 ELAR essay, scored 1–8, in which you take and develop a clear position on a prompt.
- Thesis statement
- The sentence that states an essay's central position or claim.
- Transition
- A word or phrase (however, therefore, for example) that links ideas logically.
- Subject-verb agreement
- A singular subject takes a singular verb; a plural subject takes a plural verb.
- Parallel structure
- Using the same grammatical form for items in a list, pair, or comparison.
- Misplaced modifier
- A descriptive word or phrase placed next to the wrong word, creating an unintended meaning.
- Dangling modifier
- A modifier with no clear word in the sentence to describe, so it 'dangles.'
- Comma splice
- Joining two independent clauses with only a comma — an error.
- Run-on sentence
- Two or more independent clauses joined with no proper punctuation or conjunction.
- Sentence fragment
- An incomplete sentence missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.
- Independent clause
- A group of words with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a sentence.
- Dependent clause
- A clause with a subject and verb that cannot stand alone (e.g., 'because it rained').
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement
- A pronoun must match the noun it replaces in number and gender.
- Pronoun case
- Using the correct form: subjective (I, he), objective (me, him), or possessive (my, his).
- Verb tense consistency
- Keeping verb tenses consistent unless the time frame actually changes.
- Active voice
- The subject performs the action (e.g., 'the dog chased the ball').
- Passive voice
- The subject receives the action (e.g., 'the ball was chased by the dog').
- Coordinating conjunction
- A joining word — for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS).
- Subordinating conjunction
- A word like 'because,' 'although,' or 'while' that begins a dependent clause.
- Conjunctive adverb
- An adverb like 'however' or 'therefore' that links clauses, often after a semicolon.
- Semicolon
- Joins two closely related independent clauses, or separates items in a complex list.
- Colon
- Introduces a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete sentence.
- Apostrophe
- Shows possession (the dog's bone) or forms contractions (it's = it is).
- Its vs. it's
- 'Its' shows possession; 'it's' is the contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.'
- Their/there/they're
- Their = possessive; there = place; they're = they are.
- Your vs. you're
- 'Your' shows possession; 'you're' is the contraction of 'you are.'
- Comma before conjunction
- Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction joining two independent clauses.
- Introductory comma
- Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or clause.
- Restrictive clause
- Essential information that needs no commas (the book that I borrowed).
- Nonrestrictive clause
- Extra information set off by commas (my brother, who lives in Dallas).
- Capitalization
- Capitalize proper nouns, the first word of a sentence, and titles.
- Wordiness
- Using more words than needed; the TSIA2 rewards concise, clear writing.
- Redundancy
- Repeating the same idea unnecessarily (e.g., 'free gift').
- Word choice (diction)
- Choosing precise, appropriate words for the meaning and tone.
- Idiom
- A common expression whose meaning isn't literal (e.g., 'interested in,' not 'interested on').
- Sentence variety
- Mixing sentence lengths and structures to make writing clear and engaging.
- Topic relevance
- Whether each sentence actually supports the paragraph's point; cut what doesn't.
- Essay organization
- A logical flow: introduction, developed body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
- Development and support
- Backing each point with specific reasons, examples, and details.
- Conclusion
- The final paragraph that restates the position and ties the essay together.
- Introduction
- The opening paragraph that presents the topic and states the thesis.
- Body paragraph
- A paragraph that develops one main point with supporting evidence.
- Mechanics
- Correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
- Usage
- Following standard rules for how words and grammar are used.
- Tone (writing)
- The attitude your word choice conveys; the essay should keep an appropriate, consistent tone.
- Modifier
- A word or phrase that describes another word (an adjective or adverb).
- Verb agreement with 'each'
- Indefinite pronouns like 'each,' 'every,' and 'one' are singular and take singular verbs.
- Sentence combining
- Joining short, choppy sentences clearly using the right conjunction or structure.
- Concise revision
- Choosing the shortest option that keeps the full meaning and is grammatically correct.
- Position (essay)
- The clear stance you take on the prompt — the backbone of a high WritePlacer score.
- Noun
- A word naming a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Verb
- A word expressing an action or state of being.
- Adjective
- A word that describes a noun (e.g., 'bright,' 'careful').
- Adverb
- A word that describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb, often ending in -ly.
- Pronoun
- A word that replaces a noun (he, she, it, they).
- Preposition
- A word showing relationship in time or space (in, on, before, between).
- Antecedent
- The noun a pronoun refers back to.
- Subject
- The noun or pronoun that performs the action or is described in a sentence.
- Predicate
- The part of a sentence containing the verb and what's said about the subject.
- Direct object
- The noun that receives the action of the verb.
- Compound sentence
- Two independent clauses joined by a comma + conjunction or a semicolon.
- Complex sentence
- An independent clause plus at least one dependent clause.
- Comma in a series
- Use commas to separate three or more items in a list.
- Quotation marks
- Enclose direct speech or a quoted phrase.
- Spelling: commonly confused
- Watch homophones like 'affect/effect' and 'than/then.'
- Affect vs. effect
- 'Affect' is usually a verb (to influence); 'effect' is usually a noun (a result).
- Than vs. then
- 'Than' compares; 'then' refers to time or sequence.
- Who vs. whom
- 'Who' is a subject; 'whom' is an object.
- Fewer vs. less
- 'Fewer' counts items; 'less' measures amount.
- Double negative
- Two negatives in one clause, which is nonstandard (e.g., 'don't have no').
- Faulty comparison
- Comparing things that aren't logically comparable; keep comparisons parallel.
- Shift in person
- An unintended change between 'you,' 'one,' and 'they' — keep it consistent.
- Concrete detail
- A specific fact or example that makes writing vivid and convincing.
- Hook
- An opening sentence that grabs the reader's attention.
- Revising vs. editing
- Revising improves ideas and organization; editing fixes grammar and mechanics.
- Coherence
- Logical, smooth connection of ideas so writing flows clearly.
- Proportion
- An equation stating two ratios are equal; solve by cross-multiplying.
- Cross-multiply
- For a/b = c/d, multiply a×d and b×c and set them equal.
- Ratio
- A comparison of two quantities, written a:b or a/b.
- Unit rate
- A rate per one unit (e.g., miles per hour); divide to find it.
- Percent
- A part per hundred; convert to a decimal by dividing by 100 (25% = 0.25).
- Percent of a number
- Convert the percent to a decimal and multiply: 20% of 80 = 0.20 × 80 = 16.
- Percent change
- (new − old) ÷ old × 100.
- Percent increase
- Add the percent of the original to the original (a 10% raise on 50 = 55).
- Percent decrease
- Subtract the percent of the original from the original (20% off 80 = 64).
- Slope
- Rise over run: the change in y divided by the change in x; the m in y = mx + b.
- Slope formula
- m = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁) for two points on a line.
- Y-intercept
- Where a line crosses the y-axis (x = 0); the b in y = mx + b.
- Slope-intercept form
- y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.
- Linear equation
- An equation whose graph is a straight line; variables are to the first power.
- Solving a linear equation
- Use inverse operations on both sides to isolate the variable.
- Quadratic equation
- An equation of the form ax² + bx + c = 0; its graph is a parabola.
- Factoring
- Rewriting an expression as a product, e.g., x² − 5x + 6 = (x − 2)(x − 3).
- Quadratic formula
- x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / (2a), used to solve ax² + bx + c = 0.
- Function
- A rule that assigns exactly one output to each input; written f(x).
- Evaluating a function
- Substitute the input value for x and simplify, e.g., f(3) for f(x) = 2x + 1 is 7.
- Inequality
- A statement comparing values with <, >, ≤, or ≥.
- Solving inequalities
- Solve like an equation, but flip the sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative.
- System of equations
- Two or more equations solved together by substitution or elimination.
- Exponent
- Shows repeated multiplication: 2³ = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.
- Product rule (exponents)
- When multiplying like bases, add exponents: xᵃ · xᵇ = xᵃ⁺ᵇ.
- Quotient rule (exponents)
- When dividing like bases, subtract exponents: xᵃ ÷ xᵇ = xᵃ⁻ᵇ.
- Square root
- A value that, multiplied by itself, gives the number; √25 = 5.
- Order of operations
- PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply/Divide, Add/Subtract (left to right).
- Distributive property
- a(b + c) = ab + ac.
- Rational number
- A number that can be written as a fraction of two integers.
- Irrational number
- A number that cannot be written as a fraction, like √2 or π.
- Scientific notation
- Writing a number as a digit times a power of 10 (e.g., 3.2 × 10⁴).
- Absolute value
- A number's distance from zero, always non-negative; |−4| = 4.
- Perimeter
- The distance around a figure; add all side lengths.
- Area of a rectangle
- Area = length × width.
- Area of a triangle
- Area = ½ × base × height.
- Area of a circle
- Area = π × r² (r is the radius).
- Circumference
- The distance around a circle: C = 2πr or πd.
- Volume of a box
- Volume = length × width × height (rectangular prism).
- Volume of a cylinder
- Volume = π × r² × h.
- Pythagorean theorem
- In a right triangle, a² + b² = c², where c is the hypotenuse.
- Hypotenuse
- The longest side of a right triangle, opposite the right angle.
- Similar figures
- Same shape, proportional sides; corresponding angles are equal.
- Congruent figures
- Identical in shape and size.
- Supplementary angles
- Two angles that add to 180°.
- Complementary angles
- Two angles that add to 90°.
- Vertical angles
- Opposite angles formed by two intersecting lines; they are equal.
- Radius vs. diameter
- The radius is half the diameter; the diameter passes through the center.
- Mean
- The average: add all values and divide by how many there are.
- Median
- The middle value when data are ordered (average the two middle values if even count).
- Mode
- The value that appears most often in a data set.
- Range
- The highest value minus the lowest value.
- Standard deviation
- A measure of how spread out data are; tighter clustering means a smaller value.
- Probability
- Favorable outcomes ÷ total outcomes, a number from 0 (impossible) to 1 (certain).
- Independent events
- Events where one outcome does not affect the other; multiply their probabilities.
- Positive association
- As one variable increases, the other tends to increase.
- Negative association
- As one variable increases, the other tends to decrease.
- Scatter plot
- A graph of paired data points used to spot a relationship between two variables.
- Line of best fit
- A trend line through a scatter plot; its slope shows the rate of change.
- Outlier
- A data value far from the rest; it affects the mean more than the median.
- Coordinate plane
- A grid of x- and y-axes used to plot points (x, y).
- Ordered pair
- A point's location as (x, y) on the coordinate plane.
- Mean vs. median
- Use the median when an outlier would skew the mean.
- Integer
- A whole number and its negatives, including zero (…, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, …).
- Greatest common factor
- The largest number that divides two values evenly.
- Least common multiple
- The smallest number that two values both divide into evenly.
- Fraction to decimal
- Divide the numerator by the denominator (3/4 = 0.75).
- Decimal to percent
- Multiply by 100 and add a percent sign (0.4 = 40%).
- Adding fractions
- Find a common denominator, then add the numerators.
- Multiplying fractions
- Multiply the numerators and the denominators (2/3 × 3/5 = 6/15).
- Dividing fractions
- Multiply by the reciprocal (flip the second fraction).
- Combining like terms
- Add or subtract terms with the same variable part (3x + 2x = 5x).
- Variable
- A symbol (like x) standing for an unknown number.
- Coefficient
- The number multiplied by a variable (the 4 in 4x).
- Constant
- A fixed number in an expression that doesn't change.
- Like terms
- Terms with the same variable raised to the same power.
- Substitution
- Replacing a variable with a known value to evaluate or solve.
- Elimination
- Adding or subtracting equations to cancel a variable when solving a system.
- Domain (of a function)
- The set of all valid input (x) values.
- Range (of a function)
- The set of all output (y) values a function can produce.
- Parabola
- The U-shaped graph of a quadratic function.
- Rate problem
- A word problem using distance = rate × time or a similar relationship.
- Average rate
- Total distance divided by total time.
- Markup and discount
- Markup adds a percent to a cost; discount subtracts a percent from a price.
- Simple interest
- Interest = principal × rate × time.
- Estimation
- Rounding to quickly check whether an answer is reasonable.
- Frequency table
- A table showing how often each value occurs in a data set.
- Bar graph
- A graph using bars to compare quantities across categories.
- Histogram
- A bar graph of data grouped into numeric intervals.
- Box plot
- A display showing the median, quartiles, and range of a data set.
- TSIA2
- Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 — the current college-readiness placement test for Texas.
- TSI
- Texas Success Initiative — the state program that determines readiness for college-level courses.
- THECB
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board — the agency that oversees the TSI.
- College Board
- The organization that delivers the TSIA2 on the Accuplacer platform.
- ELAR
- English Language Arts and Reading — one of the two TSIA2 subjects (reading + writing/essay).
- Mathematics (TSIA2)
- The TSIA2 math subject covering quantitative, algebraic, geometric, and statistical reasoning.
- College Readiness Classification (CRC)
- The multiple-choice test taken first in each subject; meet its cut and you skip the Diagnostic.
- Diagnostic test
- An extra TSIA2 test taken only if you miss the CRC cut; it pinpoints your level (1–6).
- ELAR cut score
- College ready with a CRC of 945+ and an essay of 5+ (or diagnostic level 5–6 with essay 5+).
- Math cut score
- College ready with a CRC of 950+ (or diagnostic level 6).
- CRC scale
- The CRC scale runs roughly 910–990, with a target mean near 950.
- Diagnostic level scale
- A 1–6 scale that pinpoints skill level when you fall below the CRC cut.
- Essay score scale
- The WritePlacer essay is scored from 1 to 8.
- College ready
- A placement meaning you can enroll directly in entry-level, credit-bearing courses.
- Developmental education
- Non-credit coursework that builds skills before college-level courses.
- Co-requisite support
- Taking a credit course alongside extra support, instead of a separate prep course.
- Placement, not pass/fail
- The TSIA2 classifies you as college ready or in need of support — it isn't pass/fail.
- Untimed test
- The TSIA2 has no time limit, so you can work carefully at your own pace.
- Computer-adaptive
- The questions adjust to your performance as you answer.
- Exemption
- A way to satisfy the TSI without the TSIA2 — qualifying SAT, ACT, STAAR, prior college, or military.
- SAT exemption
- A qualifying SAT score can exempt you from part or all of the TSIA2 (college sets the threshold).
- ACT exemption
- A qualifying ACT score can exempt you from the TSIA2 per your college's policy.
- STAAR EOC exemption
- Qualifying STAAR End-of-Course scores (English II / Algebra I) can exempt high-school students.
- Pre-Assessment Activity (PAA)
- A required activity students complete before taking the TSIA2.
- Independent subject placement
- ELAR and Mathematics are placed separately — you can be ready in one, not the other.
- Retest policy
- You may retake the TSIA2; policies and any fees are set by your college.
- Who must test
- Most students entering Texas public colleges, unless they qualify for an exemption.
- Score report
- Shows your CRC score, diagnostic level if taken, essay score, and placement.
- Accuplacer
- The College Board testing platform that delivers the TSIA2.
- Four math categories
- Quantitative, algebraic, geometric/spatial, and probabilistic/statistical reasoning.
