Heart of Algebra
If 2x + 5 = 15, this is the value of x.
5
If a shirt costs $20 and is on sale for 25% off, this is the dollar amount of the discount.
$5
"The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky" is an example of this literary device.
Personification
If a passage describes a leader as "benevolent," it means they exhibit this positive trait.
Kindness
A bicycle might fall over on its side because it is this, a punny way of saying it needs a nap.
Two Tired
In the linear equation y = mx + b, the letter "m" represents this feature of a line
In the data set {2, 4, 4, 5, 10}, this number represents the median.
4
This term refers to the central, unifying idea of a story, often a universal truth about human nature.
This "A" word means to make a bad situation better or less painful.
Alleviate
If you happen to encounter a fake, counterfeit noodle, you would call it by this punny Italian name.
Impasta
This is the solution to the system of equations: x + y = 10 and x - y = 2
x =6, y=4
A map has a scale of 1 inch to 50 miles. If two cities are 3.5 inches apart on the map, this is the actual distance between them.
175 miles
When a character says the opposite of what they mean, often for comedic or emphatic effect, they are using this specific type of irony.
Verbal irony
A "pragmatic" approach to solving a problem relies on this rather than abstract, idealistic theories.
Practical or Logical
Science teachers say you can never trust atoms because they literally do this.
Make Up Everything
If 3(x - 2) = 18, this is the value of 2x.
16
If a bag has 3 red, 4 blue, and 5 green marbles, this is the probability of picking a blue marble.
1/3
A PSAT reading passage analyzing the historical migration patterns of monarch butterflies would be classified under this broad subject area.
Science
In the phrase "the ubiquitous smartphones," the word ubiquitous means this.
Everywhere
A thief who stole a desk calendar was incredibly upset when the judge gave him this standard sentence.
12 Months
The inequality 3x - 7 < 8 yields this maximum integer value for x.
4
A car travels 120 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes. This is its average speed in miles per hour.
48mph
In literature, this term describes a narrative technique that interrupts the chronological sequence of events to show something that happened earlier.
Flashback
If an author's tone is described in a reading question as "didactic," their primary purpose is to do this.
To Teach or To Instruct
The man who survived a mustard gas and pepper spray attack was declared by doctors to be this punny phrase.
A Seasoned Veteran