GED: The Language of the Test: The Language of the Test, List 7

To evaluate something is to give a subjective assessment of that thing. On the GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Test, you might need to evaluate the claims in a passage. On the writing portion of the test, you will need to evaluate two passages that discuss an issue and offer your own perspective.

A concept is a general idea, apart from specific examples. Your particular sandwich may have peanut butter and jelly on it, but the concept of "a sandwich" is food between pieces of bread. Examples are important, but when you are talking concepts, you are talking about what those examples have in common.

To determine something is to figure it out. Determine usually implies something objective, not subjective. In other words, you don't "determine your feelings" about something. It's usually a fact you would determine. For example, you can use a thermometer to determine your temperature, or you can use data to determine which course of action will most effectively achieve a goal.

To imply something is to hint at it without directly stating it. You may be asked to figure out what a passage implies. In order to answer such a question, you will have to make inferences based on the clues the writer has provided you. Think of yourself as a textual detective!

Don't confuse infer and imply. When you are asked to infer, you are interpreting what a writer has implied or hinted at. The idea, conclusion, or meaning that you infer is called an inference.

When you draw a conclusion based on evidence, you are making an inference. If you see your little brother with chocolate all over his mouth and hands, you might make an inference that he polished off the brownies.

A discussion can be a conversation between two people, or it can be an author's treatment of a topic in a book, article, or reading passage. If you see references to "the discussion of" a particular topic in a passage, just find the part of the passage where the author writes about that topic.

To identify something is to name it or recognize it. You might need to identify the tone or purpose of a passage, to identify specific evidence an author uses to support a claim, or to identify a specific area of a chart, graph, or map. On the language and grammar portion of the GED Reasoning Through Language Arts, you will need to identify the changes necessary to improve ungrammatical or awkward sentences.

An assumption is something taken to be true, a belief. Sometimes assumptions are stated by an author and sometimes you have to infer them.

To be distinct is to be separate or different from something else. Your twin cousins might look alike, but their personalities are totally distinct. On a standardized test, you might be asked to identify ways two ideas or things are different — in other words, how they are distinct.

When you decide what something means, you interpret it. You might interpret a character's actions to reveal something significant about her personality, or you might interpret the data from a scientific experiment to decide whether or not your hypothesis was accurate.

When you establish something in writing, you make it clear. A writer can establish tone, perspective, facts, and more. For example, you might notice that a writer uses the word "we" in a passage to establish a sense of community or togetherness.

The word development on the GED Test will most likely refer to the development of ideas over the course of a reading passage. Typically, an author can't persuade you of his or her opinion in one sentence. Instead, he or she builds — or develops — an argument through logical reasoning and evidence.