ACT: Reading Test

Strategies and Skills

40 questions in 35 minutes. Divided into 4 main sections: reading level

college entrance level Each passage has a heading that states the

type of passage it is. (ex. Prose Fiction) 1 whole score/three sections: social

studies/sciences reading and another in arts/literature reading skills.

Asks Questions To: Derive meaning FROM THE TEXT

What it Looks Like:

1. Referring to what is explicitly said in the text. 2. Using reasoning to determine implicit meanings in

the text: Main ideas Significant details Sequence of events Make comparisons Comprehend cause/effect relationships Determine meaning of words within text Draw generalizations based on entire text Analyze the author’s voice and view/method

Specific Skills:

Pace Yourself. Spend 2-3 minutes reading the

passage(s) in each section. Then spend 35 seconds per question. Mark the questions you feel less confident about so you can use any extra time to review at the end.

Actively read the section. Jot down notes, do tell-backs, etc. Make yourself understand what is happening and how things connect.

Double check your answer by looking back at the passage. Note, is it implicit or explicit?

Tips:

immediately identify main concepts Text marking—main ideas, significant details,

transitions read actively know the question implicit/explicit try covering up answers

Specific Strategies

Practice Reading Test

Let’s Try It:

25% Each:

Social Studies Natural Sciences Prose Fiction Humanities

Note: Only prose fiction, social science and humanities were covered on the PLAN.

Each piece is about 750 words in length. TIP: Start with the type of reading you are most

comfortable with.

Content Covered:

Numbers with less than 80% accuracy:

2 3 4 5 8

Prose Fiction

Numbers with less than 80% accuracy:

10 11 12 15 16

Social Science

Numbers with less than 80% accuracy:

17 18 19 20 21 23 24 25

Humanities

•Natural Sciences articles

http://discovermagazine.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/index.html

Social Sciences articles

http://www.businessweek.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/index.html http://www.nytimes.com/pages/politics/index.html http://www.biography.com/

•Humanities http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/index.html

•Prose Fiction http://www.bartleby.com/

Also weekly news magazines (Time, Newsweek, etc.) usually have science, education or society, and arts sections.

Readily Available Reading Materials

Take the practice test and it will identify

specific strengths, weaknesses and tips to match your skills.

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