Reading Study Guide for the TEAS

Reading Terms You Need to Know

Throughout the test, there are certain terms and key words you’ll need to know and be able to apply. Below is a list of some of the common academic terms with which you should be familiar. If any of these terms are unfamiliar or you need further explanation or examples, please conduct an internet search to learn more.

anecdote—a short personal story often used by a writer to get the reader’s attention, to make a point, or to set up a relatable comparison

argument—the position the writer takes with regard to a topic or the claim they make about a subject; the argument is the writer’s contribution to the ongoing conversation about the topic, but may not be viewed the same by all audience members

assumption—points or claims of an argument that the writer believes the reader will accept as being true without question or challenge; information the writer supposes the reader will believe without the need for evidence or proof

audience—the person or group for whom a writer writes; the audience determines the diction, syntax, and structure the writer uses

authorial intent—the purpose the author has in writing a text; the idea that the author of a text wants to share with an audience; most common intents are to inform, explain, persuade, argue, or entertain

bias—the personal feeling of preference or prejudice toward a topic the writer is writing about; while bias has a negative connotation, it refers to the preconceived notions we all come to a subject with, whether good or bad, accurate or inaccurate

blog—a shortened version of the original term “weblog” (or “web log”), a blog is an informal online discussion of a topic of shared interest

chart—a visual representation of information or data, often in the form of a diagram, graph, or table

chronological—organized or sequenced by time, usually consecutively from beginning to middle to end

claim—the author’s main argument in a text; the position a writer takes with regard to a subject

comprehension—the ability to understand something and gain meaning from it

conclusion—the end or completion of something; in a text, it is the way the writing is finished, usually summarizing the main ideas or key points and leaving the reader with something to consider after reading

connotation—the feelings or personal connections that a word invokes; authors consider a word’s connotation when they select their diction as it affects how a reader will respond to the ideas presented

context—the circumstances or surrounding factors that determine meaning; the setting of a piece of writing

contradiction—statements or ideas that are opposed to another statement or idea; very much different from one another

counterclaim—the rebuttal statement provided to a previous claim made in an argument

delineate—to describe or explain something precisely and in detail

denotation—the literal dictionary definition of a word

details—the particular characteristics or unique features of a subject

diagram—a visual representation or drawing showing the relationships between pieces of information

evidence—proof or factual information provided in support of a claim or idea

explicit—clearly stated outright; direct and straightforward

fact—a piece of information that is known with certainty or that can be proven true; information that is used as evidence

figurative language—an artistic expression of language and words used by writers to help their readers make connections or relate to a complex or abstract idea; figurative language should not be taken literally

footnote—additional information, often a citation or definition, provided at the bottom of a page where a reference is made or a term is used that needs to be immediately understood; the word or reference often has a superscript number or symbol that refers readers to the definition or citation at the bottom of the page that corresponds with that number or symbol

genre—a category or classification, usually of writing, music, or other artistic endeavor; in literature, the broadest genres are fiction and nonfiction, with a variety of genres under each of those groups

glossary—an alphabetical list of terms or keywords, often found at the end of a text, that offers definitions for words relating to a specific subject; an abbreviated dictionary highlighting terms used within a text and providing their definitions or translations

graph—similar to a chart, a graph is a pictorial representation of information or data usually presented in a comparison format, perhaps indicating trends over a period of time

graphic—any visual used to support, explain, or provide more information about a text or a subject; may include images, drawings, symbolic representations, etc.

heading—a title within a longer text indicating the topic of a particular section; may also be used to refer to the titles of graphics

identify—this verb directive asks the reader to pick out or recognize a particular piece of information

implicit—implied or understood as the result of reading a text; something not stated outright, but hinted at or suggested by the author

imply—the verb form of implicit; to suggest, insinuate, or hint

index—similar to a table of contents, an alphabetized list of the main ideas, subjects, or content in a text; usually found at the end of a text

inference—a logical conclusion made as the result of considering the evidence and information presented in a text; an opinion based on prior knowledge and common sense

irrelevant—having no relation, connection, or application to the subject at hand; unnecessary, inapplicable, or immaterial

key points—the most important ideas presented in a text; the reasons and evidence used by a writer to support their claims

legend—an explanation of the symbols used on a map or graphic to help the user effectively read, navigate, and understand the map or graphic

logic—the application of reasoning and common sense; using rational thought to analyze an argument or consider an claim

main idea—the principle idea a writer wants their audience to glean from a text; may be expressed directly or be implied

mood—the “atmosphere” of a text; the feeling(s) the writer wants to evoke in their reader as they engage with a text

objective—impartial or unbiased

opinion—a subjective thought, judgment, attitude, or belief about a subject

paraphrase—a restatement of the main ideas of a text into one’s own words; to “translate” into one’s own words the words and ideas of another

peer-reviewed journal—writing that has undergone scrutiny and evaluation by one or more experts in the field who can verify and confirm the quality and scientific merit of the research presented

perspective—the lens or viewpoint from which a text is written; a particular attitude or outlook

persuasive argument and persuasive writing—text that works to form and present a logical argument to convince the reader or audience of a particular position with regard to a topic; an argument or claim that not everyone will agree with is presented and evidence is provided to support the claim in an effort to convince or persuade the audience to view the subject in the same way

point of view—the perspective from which a text is presented; the most common points of view are first person (referencing first-person pronouns like I/me/we/us), second person (speaking directly to the audience with the use of you/your), third person limited (narrator follows one character in a text, uses third-person pronouns of she/he/they), and third person omniscient (narrator is “all-knowing” and can get into the thoughts of any and all characters)

prediction—an educated guess made based on reasonable assumptions, common sense, and logic; what someone thinks will happen before knowing for sure

primary source—evidence or original records of an event shared by people with first-hand knowledge and experience of that event

priorities—the order of importance or urgency; something that is a priority is considered to be more important than something else

procedure—a common or established way of doing something; a set course of action

publication—the act of publicly sharing a text; a term referring to material that has been shared with outside readers

qualitative data—information that is gathered via observation, describing qualities or characteristics

quantitative data—information that can be counted, measured, or somehow quantified and given a numerical value

query and query function—to question or look for information within a document using mathematical expressions to define search parameters

reason—the ability to apply logic and rationality to draw a conclusion from information, evidence, and past experience

reasoning—the act of considering information in a sensible, rational, logical way

relevant—information or insight that is pertinent, related, or applicable to the subject at hand

rephrase—to restate or put into different words

representation—depiction or portrayal or someone or something based on their qualities or characteristics

research-based—practices or procedures that are grounded in investigation by professionals in the field who have posed and tested theories regarding the subject

rhetorical devices—stylized language elements used to persuade an audience

root word—a primary word form to which prefixes and/or suffixes can be added to create new words; a basic linguistic unit that may or may not have meaning on its own

scale—an instrument for measuring; a representation of the distance shown on a map or graphic and what that distance actually is (e.g., 1 inch = 10 miles)

search engine—a software system designed to navigate the internet in a systematic way to find specific information

search term—the keyword(s) entered in a search engine to find information on the internet

secondary source—a text that gives interpreted information, analysis, or insight about a primary source

sequence—the order or arrangement of actions; succession; a connected series of events

sequential—following a logical order, progression, or sequence

sidebar—complimentary text or images included on a page to provide additional information about a subject but which is not included within the body of the text

social commentary—an observation or interpretation made about some element of the human community; often shared by an author seeking change or action with regard to the issue being discussed

social structure—the hierarchical organization of groups of people based on their roles in society

stereotype—an oversimplified and often inaccurate generalization about a particular group of people and the view that every person within that group conforms to that same generalization

structures—the organizational patterns that demonstrates the relationships between different groups or elements

subheading—a title given to a section within a longer text to identify the main idea presented within that section

superscript—typed characters that appear smaller in size than the rest of the text and are set slightly above the normal line of type; often used to indicate a footnote

support—evidence or information used to prove, explain, or illustrate a claim made by an author

table of contents—the chronological list of content located at the beginning of a text

tertiary source—reference materials, textbooks, or other publications that compile and organize ideas or information from other sources; these sources are usually not credited to a particular author

theme—the main idea, subject, lesson, moral, or message the writer is trying to convey to the reader

tone—the attitude a writer takes toward their subject; can generally be described in one word (e.g., sarcastic, pleading, serious)

topic—the main subject being discussed in a text

transition words—words that are used to move the reader from one idea to the next; transition words may appear within a sentence or be used to shift from one paragraph to the next

valid—something reasonable, rational, logical, and likely true

viewpoint—the perspective or point of view from which a text is written or a topic is considered