ACT Sample Test 0861DA Review of the English Test

Take NOTE of this!• Success and raising your English Sub-Test Score involves

keeping these two sets of considerations in mind!• On the ACT English Test, the key factors to arriving at

correct responses every time come down to two overall considerations:• CLARITY• BREVITY/DIRECTNESS

• When you consider how to answer the question, you must read with an impression of the passage overall. In other words, you must stop focusing merely on the UNDERLINED portions. For each passage, be SURE you can answer two critically important (yet extremely easy/basic) question:• What is the main idea of this passage?• What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

1. Rhetorical Skills—D • This is a question that checks if you can

determine what wording will be the most clear and least wordy.

• REMEMBER: when in doubt, always go with the shortest choice!

• ALSO REMEMBER: when “OMIT the underlined portion” is an option, it will be the correct choice 80-90% of the time!

• The sentence mentions the tomato plants would “slump with ripening fruit,” so the underlined portion mentioning their weight is REDUNDANT.

What is redundancy?

2. Usage & Mechanics—G • This expression includes a misplaced modifier—re-

read it if you didn’t catch that the first go-round!• For CLARITY, ALWAYS have modifying words,

phrases, and clauses as CLOSE to what they modify as possible.

• In this case, “Pleasantly heavy and warm from the sun” is talking about the fruit, so select the choice that has that phrase closest to the word “fruit.”

Try to ignore the precious little

boy in the picture (if you

can). How is the headline an

example of unclear diction?

3. Usage & Mechanics—C • Again, this is a test of CLEAR EXPRESSION. • Always choose the verb tense that is the most

direct AND consistent with the rest of the flow of ideas around it.

• Another tip to keep in mind is to choose the shortest (most direct) choice!

Consistent Verb Tense

4. Rhetorical Skills—J • This is a place where the correct answer comes

from properly interpreting main idea and author’s purpose of the ENTIRE PASSAGE.

• When you see a question that asks you about SENTENCE ORDER, pull back from your narrow focus of underlined expressions and consider what will make the main idea most clear and easy to infer.

• It makes sense to go from the ripeness of the fruit being described (sentence 2) to what the growers did with them (moving the sentence to the third place in the paragraph).

5. Rhetorical Skills—C • This is another kind of question that depends on

your understanding main idea and author’s purpose.

• You must decide if the sentence is necessary, and why or why not.

• Look at the contents of the paragraph: it provides a series of steps they took to can tomatoes. Given that, is knowing about the boiling water essential? Why?

6. Usage & Mechanics—J• This is a test of proper comma

usage.• When in doubt, leave commas out!

OR, use as few as possible, and only leave them in places where they make sense (a natural pause or to separate items in a list).

• In this sentence, there should be a natural pause after the introductory adverb “Next,” but not anywhere else.

• BEWARE of becoming a “Comma-kaze!”

7. Usage & Mechanics—A• Oh, look! Comma use strikes again.• Don’t be afraid to choose “NO CHANGE”—

probability suggests it will be the correct choice about 14-15 times.

• In actuality, it was the correct choice on this sample test 15 times.

• REMEMBER: When in doubt, leave commas out!• The “NO CHANGE” option leaves the fewest

commas without sacrificing any clarity (or creating a run-on).

When in doubt, leave commas

out!

8. Rhetorical Skills—F • Oh hey, here’s another “NO CHANGE.” • More importantly, cracking the code on this

question involves reading it carefully. It asks for “which one helps the reader best visualize the specifics of the scene.”

• What kind of details help a reader visualize?• Which choice offers that kind of detail?

9. Rhetorical Skills—C • Here is a style question. ALL style questions come

down to CLARITY in terms of author’s purpose and main idea. Those are comprehension basics, but they will require you to pull back and look beyond the words that are underlined.

• Consider what the sentence in question says, and whether its information is essential in making the main idea and author’s intention CLEAR. Be prepared to supply a reason for your selection.

• In this case, that sentence helps further explain why this narrator has fond memories of canning tomatoes.

10. Usage & Mechanics—H • This is an easy one, and the ACT English Test

usually has 2-3 questions verifying that you ALWAYS get this right!

• Simply, “its” is possessive, where “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.”

• When in doubt, plug in “it is” in the place of its/it’s; if it makes sense to say “it is” in place of the its/it’s, then you must choose the one with an apostrophe.

• If, however, saying “it is” in the place of its/it’s, then you must choose the non-apostrophe version.

So simple it’s silly!

11. Usage & Mechanics—B • This question checks your ability to select the

proper verb tense.• The best advice for making good choices with this

kind of question involves scanning back to look at what action is unfolding before and after the moment described in the underlined portion, and making sure the choice you select makes sense (no fragment or run-on creation, time order, etc.).

12. Rhetorical Skills—F • The key to answering this question involves

READING THE QUESTION CAREFULLY!• The question asks you to select the most

contrasting image to the last one in the final sentence of the paragraph.

• Well, what is that final image? It’s “the bleak winter.”

• What is already there in the underlined portion, “all gleaming colorfully in their jars,” is the BEST contrast to “bleak winter.”

• REMEMBER that with a question like this, always do the work to be clear about what you are to be selecting. A student who works too fast will perhaps leave this empty point behind.

13. Usage & Mechanics—B • This is an apostrophe usage question.• We use apostrophes to indicate letters taken out of

contracted expressions: “do not” becomes “don’t” (note the apostrophe indicates where the letter “o” has been omitted);

• We also use apostrophes to show possession or ownership. When the word is singular, we typically add an apostrophe THEN a letter “s.” If a singular term ends with the letter “s,” you have a choice: simply add an apostrophe AFTER the “s,” or add an apostrophe and THEN another “s.”

• When a word is plural and ends with “s,” we add an apostrophe AFTER the existing “s.” If the word is plural and does not end with an “s,” we add an apostrophe and THEN a letter “s.”

Apostrophes & Possession

It’s time for some quick apostrophe practice!•Student•Schools•Rose•Daisies•Children• People

14. Usage & Mechanics—F • This is a question that tests your ability to select

proper preposition usage.• If in doubt, consider how the meaning changes

with each preposition in place of the underlined word. Go with the choice that makes the most sense in the context of the paragraph and passage (keep main idea in mind, even though this is a usage & mechanics question).

15. Rhetorical Skills—C • Again, this is a style question based on your

comprehension of the author’s purpose and main idea.

• Based on the question, you need to have a firm understanding of what the point of the final paragraph is, and how it inflects and informs meaning.

16. Usage & Mechanics—H • Another comma usage question!• The underlined portion includes a word and part of

an appositive that modifies that word (yew).• Remember that appositives are typically phrases

that offer additional, nonessential information. In other words, the sentence would make sense without this information there at all, so it is set off with commas—“handles” for pulling it out!

Appositive Phrases

17. Usage & Mechanics—D • This question is checking to see if you can select

the proper beginning to the clause.• Note that the shortest answer (other than the

underlined expression) is the correct choice—and “that” is an appropriate starter for a clause.

18. Rhetorical Skills—J • NOTE: The shortest answer is the correct choice!• Remember to strive for simplicity, concision, and

the most direct approach to expression.

Brevity

20. Rhetorical Skills—G • For a topic sentence, CLARITY requires that

pronouns not be used when a more specific, definite term can be employed.

• Thus, the correct choice names the chemical discovered in the yew tree.

• This is a rare exception to the “shortest answer is best” rule, but it does fall under the main stylistic demands of content on this sub-test: material should be as specific and clear as possible in as brief and direct a manner as possible.

21. Rhetorical Skills—C • Here the test is checking to see if you can

determine relevant vs. irrelevant details.• This requires you to have a firm understanding of

the passage’s main idea and the author’s purpose (what else?).

22. Usage & Mechanics—J • Correct verb tense—select for both subject-verb

agreement and tense order.

Use “that” when referring to objects.

Use “who” when referring to people.

23. Usage & Mechanics—C • UGH! This is an example of passive voice. The ACT

English sub-test usually has 1-2 passive voice questions.

• A sentence’s voice is said to be passive when the SUBJECT is NOT the performer of the action. This makes for bad, constipated style. In other words, it’s yucky. Do not use passive voice. Ever.

• The correct choice has the subject performing the action. That’s called active voice and it’s the better choice about 97% of the time.

Active vs. Passive Voice

Passive Voice Toolbox

• The test was given•A speeding ticket was issued• The snooze button was repeatedly pressed• The student was grounded, again• Its attention was soon focused

24. Rhetorical Skills—F • Here, the style question requires your

comprehension of main idea and author’s purpose in selecting a sentence that both concludes and creates a transition for readers.

25. Usage & Mechanics—A • Here you have to choose the correct introductory

clause that matches the surrounding content in meaning and does not create a fragment. This is a usage question because it involves proper verb tense selection, but it is sort of a style (rhetorical skills) question as well.

26. Usage & Mechanics—G • READ CAREFULLY! The question asks you to select

the choice that is NOT acceptable!• Always keep a watchful eye for words used in

questions that are in full capital letters, such as NOT, NEVER, LEAST, MOST, & ALWAYS.

• The choice “for approximately” doesn’t make clear sense, so it is the least attractive option.

27. Rhetorical Skills—C • Yet another rhetorical skills/style question that

requires firm understanding of author’s purpose and main idea, this question actually wants you to make a judgment about which sentence logically fits into the flow of information.

• The passage has discussed the large volume of trees required to yield enough of the cancer-fighting chemical, so it makes sense that destruction of that many trees would put conservationists on alert.

28. Usage & Mechanics—H

• Hey look, it’s a second apostrophe question.• This time the apostrophe goes in plural placement

because this chemical was obviously intended to treat far more than ONE patient.

Am I being too harsh?

29. Usage & Mechanics—D • This question checks to see if you can create

greater clarity through the use of introductory, transitional wording.

30. Usage & Mechanics—J • Again, this is a check of your ability to create

CLEAR meaning through the use of introductory adverbs—this also remedies the existence of a FRAGMENT.

31. Usage & Mechanics—C • Another question of correct preposition choice for

CLEAR and CORRECT expression of meaning.

32. Rhetorical Skills—J • This is a question checking if you are able to

choose the correct conjunctive adverb to construct a causal link between the repeated auctioning of the sack of flour and the benefit to Civil War soldiers.

• Remember that when in doubt, go with the most CLEAR choice in terms of constructing meaning, keeping the main idea and author’s purpose in mind as you choose.

Conjunctive Adverbs

33. Rhetorical Skills—B • Read carefully! The question asks you to select

the LEAST acceptable alternative to what is already in the passage.

• “Enhance” is the least close in meaning to “Benefit” so it is the correct choice.

34. Usage & Mechanics—H • Oh look! It’s another apostrophe usage question.

How many of these (not counting its vs. it’s) have we had? 3? That’s about right.

35. Usage & Mechanics—A • Comma usage!• This is one of those friendly, nonessential

appositives, so it needs comma “handles.”

36. Usage & Mechanics—J • This is a question of whether to use an

introductory word, like a conjunctive adverb, to construct the sentence.

• The key issues to remember with the ACT English Test are CLARITY and BREVITY.

• Also, choosing the SHORTEST answer also remedies a potential fragment formation.

37. Rhetorical Skills—D • This is a question that checks to see if you can

correctly interpret the main idea well enough to recognize REDUNDANCY, and eliminate it.

• Also, note that the SHORTEST answer is the correct choice!

38. Usage & Mechanics—G • Semicolon usage!• Simple rule for semicolon use: there MUST be a

complete sentence (also known as an independent clause) on either side of a semicolon.

• This is a series of actions, so each should be separated from the others with a comma.

Using semi-colons correctly

39. Rhetorical Skills—B • Remember CLARITY & DIRECTNESS?• Remember to select the shortest choice?• This is a case where you are being tested to see if

you can recognize REDUNDANCY.

40. Usage & Mechanics—F • Read carefully! You are to select the alternative

that would NOT be acceptable.• The problem with F is that it constructs a COMMA

SPLICE (specialized Run-On). Know when to recognize them for just how horrible and wrong they truly are.

Comma splices are horrible!

41. Usage & Mechanics—D • This is a CLARITY through proper verb selection

question.• Keep tenses logically consistent!

42. Usage & Mechanics—G • This is a punctuation (comma) usage question. As

the sentence stands, it is a fragment. Removing “that” and adding a comma in its place establishes the series of actions and makes a sentence from the fragment.

43. Rhetorical Skills—D • Clarity• Brevity/Directness• Shortest Answer• That is all.

44. Usage & Mechanics—F • This is a correct use of “its” and none of the other

choices are as clear or direct.

45. Rhetorical Skills—A • If you missed this question, it is probably because

you convinced yourself to add commas where not a single one is needed.

• For commas, remember the basic warning: when in doubt, leave them out!

Could this be you?

46. Usage & Mechanics—F • This is the old “between” vs. “among” issue.• When two points are being referenced, use

“between.”

Among vs. Between

47. Usage & Mechanics—C • This is a second “it’s” vs. “its” question.• Does it make sense to say “it is” in place of the

underlined portion?• No?• Then “its” has to be correct!

It’s vs. Its

48. Rhetorical Skills—J • This is a question checking that you are able to

select the option that is the most logical and CLEAR.

• Remember that the shortest option is usually the best.

49. Rhetorical Skills—A • Again, remember that the content of this subtest

is supposed to be as CLEAR and BRIEF as possible. The existing wording is best for satisfying both expectations.

50. Usage & Mechanics—G • Comma usage!• Do you remember the rule: “When in doubt, leave

them ___!”• And that is all.

51. Rhetorical Skills—B • Again, the consideration here has to reflect upon

your knowledge of the main idea and author’s purpose in this passage, as well as the importance of the details in providing CLARITY.

52. Usage & Mechanics—J • Proper pronoun case.• Use the substitution test to make sure you have

selected correctly.

Reflexive Pronouns

53. Rhetorical Skills—C • BREVITY and GETTING TO THE POINT!• Don’t be like this guy:

54. Usage & Mechanics—G • Read carefully! Choose the wording that is NOT

acceptable.• Substitute each option to find the alternative that

would not be appropriate.• The correct choice has him clerking in a hospital

where there is also an electronics factory. This is doubtful and improbable.

55. Rhetorical Skills—A • Checking for the most clear transitional

introductory word.

56. Rhetorical Skills—H • Read carefully!• The only group of words with details that are

specific is H.

57. Rhetorical Skills—D • This is yet another question that demonstrates

the importance of considering the passage’s main idea as a way of getting to the correct choice quickly.

• The correct choice is the only one to convey how an idea began to change things faster for the better for Tran and Maya.

58. Rhetorical Skills—J • The original wording defies logic, so one of the

replacement choices must be clearer.• Note that the shortest choice is correct!

59. Usage & Mechanics—A • This question is checking to see if you can

correctly choose solid and clear sentence construction over poorly combined clauses.

• In A & C, the result is a run-on sentence.• In B, the result is not as clear due to awkward

construction.• Therefore, the existing wording and punctuation

are clearest and best.

60. Usage & Mechanics—H • Ah, the dash. There is usually 1-2 questions that

check your knowledge of dash usage. This question actually tests your knowledge of several marks of punctuation and their usage.

• Be sure to READ CAREFULLY—you are to select the choice that is NOT acceptable as a substitute to the given mark (dash).

• Obviously, a comma between two independent clauses is NEVER acceptable. Remembering that rule about comma splices will save you time in answering questions such as this.

How in the world do I use dashes, anyway?

61. Usage & Mechanics—D • I have one thing to say: When in doubt, _____ _____

_____!

http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/essentialclause.htm

62. Rhetorical Skills—H • Remember to keep the main idea and author’s

purpose in mind when answering questions such as this.

62. Rhetorical Skills—H