STEP Exam Preparation - Core Vocabulary and Concepts

A selection of flashcards defining key academic vocabulary, historical facts, scientific concepts, and terminology covered across the STEP Elite exam preparation document.

Hyperinflation

An extreme form of inflation where prices across an entire economy rise extraordinarily fast, such as the 79.6 billion percent inflation rate recorded in Zimbabwe in November 2008.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

A commonly cited measure of inflation calculated by statisticians at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics based on the price of a fixed basket of goods and services representing purchases by an average family of four.

Substitution Bias

A bias in inflation measurement using a fixed basket of goods that overstates the true rise in living costs because it does not account for consumers shifting away from goods whose relative prices have increased.

Acid Rain

Atmospheric pollution formed when sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen oxides from burning fossil fuels combine with moisture in the air to form hazardous acids.

DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane)

An insecticide used against malaria-carrying mosquitoes that caused ecological imbalances, such as thinning bald eagle eggshells, leading to strict restrictions in the United States in 1972.

Plasma Treatment

A high-temperature waste treatment process using ionized gases above $1,650^\circ\text{F}$ ($900^\circ\text{C}$) to decompose toxic gases into relatively harmless components.

Gross Anatomy

The branch of biological science involved in studying major body structures that are large enough to be examined directly without magnifying devices.

Microscopic Anatomy

The study of structural units small enough to be seen only with magnifying instruments, such as a light microscope.

Comparative Anatomy

A subdivision of anatomy that compares body structures across different animal species to understand adaptive evolutionary changes.

Histology

The scientific field concerned with the study of tissue organization, which developed alongside microscopic anatomy in the 19th century.

Physiology

The scientific study of how the body functions and how different organs and systems work together to support life.

Homeostasis

A core biological concept developed by French physiologist Claude Bernard describing the internal stability maintained by living organisms.

Forensic Psychologists

Psychologists who apply psychological principles, theories, and clinical insights to assist in solving crimes and evaluating legal cases.

Appraisal Theories

Psychological theories proposing that emotions are triggered by cognitive evaluations (appraisals) regarding how events affect personal goals and well-being.

Cortisol

A stress hormone released into the bloodstream that suppresses immune functions and inflammatory pathways during prolonged stress.

Firebreak

A cleared strip or trench of land devoid of vegetation created by firefighters to stop the advance of a wildfire.

Matryoshka Doll

A traditional Russian nesting doll carved from linden wood containing an odd number of painted cylindrical figures fitting inside one another.

Aqua Appia

The oldest Roman aqueduct, built in 312 BCE by censor Appius Claudius Caecus, measuring 10 miles in total length.

Methyl Bromide

A soil fumigant pesticide widely used in strawberry farming to kill soil-borne pathogens, banned in 1991 under the Montreal Protocol.

Altair 8800

The first commercially available microcomputer, released in 1975 for about $400$, featuring $64\,\text{KB}$ of memory.

Type A Personality

A personality type characterized by impatience, a fast-paced lifestyle, high work dedication, and susceptibility to irritation under delay.

Type B Personality

A personality type characterized by a calm, relaxed, and patient demeanor, handling everyday pressure without becoming easily overstressed.

Just-in-Time (JIT) Logistics

An inventory management system where materials arrive exactly as needed for production or sales, minimizing carrying costs and warehouse storage.

Dopamine

A vital chemical neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates movement control, pleasure processing, motivation, and mood.

Team Rubicon

A non-profit disaster relief organization founded in 2010 by military veterans Jake Wood and William McNulty following the Haiti earthquake.