Key terms & definitions

Changing letters in a string to uppercase or lowercase.

Producing a hard outer layer on steel by adding carbon at the surface and heat treating it, while retaining a relatively soft core.

Law established through court decisions, which can interpret and clarify legislation and guide later cases.

A detailed study of a particular place, group or event used to investigate wider historical developments.

An intensive investigation of one person or a small group, often using medical records, observations, tests and scans.

A detailed investigation of a particular example, such as one family, organisation or community.

An in-depth investigation of an individual, group or particular case.

A detailed investigation of a particular issue, event, group or campaign used to understand wider citizenship questions.

Money available to a business as notes, coins or money in its bank account.

The November 1939 policy allowing countries such as Britain and France to buy American weapons if they paid for them and transported them themselves.

A product with high market share in a low-growth market.

A crop grown mainly to sell rather than to feed the people growing it.

A crop grown mainly to be sold rather than consumed by the grower.

The movement of money into and out of a business over a period of time.

An estimate of future cash inflows, cash outflows and cash balances over a period.

Money entering a business during a period, such as customer payments or a loan received.

Money leaving a business during a period, such as payments for materials, wages or equipment.

A situation in which a business does not have enough available cash to meet the payments it needs to make.

An enclosure that houses and protects a product’s internal components.

A small chest or box. In The Merchant of Venice, suitors choose between three caskets to try to win Portia’s hand in marriage.

Letters allegedly exchanged between Mary, Queen of Scots and Bothwell, presented as evidence that Mary had helped plan Darnley’s murder. Their authenticity was disputed.

A dish cooked slowly in a covered ovenproof pot, usually with liquid; the cooking pot is also called a casserole.

A hereditary social group within Indian society, often associated with a traditional occupation.

A traditional system of inherited social groups that can influence status and opportunities in Indian society.

A rigid social rank or group. Jane uses this word to describe the class boundaries she fears crossing.

A hereditary social group within a traditional South Asian system of social ranking. Sikh teaching rejects the idea that caste determines spiritual worth.

A stratification system in which membership is inherited at birth and traditionally linked to particular occupations and restrictions on social relationships.

The keeper of a castle, responsible for its garrison, defences and administration.

A traditional system of inherited social groups that can influence people's status and opportunities.

A system of inherited social groups in which people’s birth can determine their perceived rank and lead to discrimination.