Transcript Reading ACT Test

Reading ACT Test
Format
• 40 questions/4 passages/35 minutes/
• 8 - 8 ½ minutes per passage
• 2-3 minutes to read each passage and
5-6 to answer questions
4 passages
• 1. Prose fiction – what you study in an
English class – short stories/novels/plays
• plot (what happens but also why it
happens),
• character development (motivation for
action),
• theme (central idea or what it tries to teach
us about life),
• mood (how the mood is established),
• setting (how does it influence character
and plot)
• 2. Humanities – usually informative pieces
about art forms (visual art, music, theatre,
etc.), may be about historical figures,
events, trends, and modes of thought
• Think about the author’s viewpoint – might
need to predict how the author might feel
on an idea based on what you have read
so far
• Watch for relationships between people
and events/ideas/trends
• 3. Social Science – include history,
psychology, sociology, government, etc.
• These passages tend to be factual
• You do not need prior knowledge of a
subject matter to answer the questions
• Lots of names/dates/concepts
• Keep track of who believes/does
something
• Watch for cause/effect, sequences,
comparisons
• 4. Natural Sciences – could include
biology, earth science, chemistry, physics,
etc.
• may include specialized language but the
passage will include context clues to help
you figure out the meanings and uses
• lots of details – track cause/effect,
theories,
• Choose the passage you are most
comfortable with and read that one first!
• Remember to start on the right number on
your answer key if you complete the
passages out of order.
3 Types of questions
• 1. Factual/detail – find the answer directly in the
reading or through context clues
• Be careful of the “most significant detail,” “best
be described as,” or “primarily serves to.” These
phrases mean that there is more than one right
answer – you have to choose the most
developed idea.
• Be careful of the “not” questions! Slow down –
read carefully.
• 2. Inferring– take implied information and
use it to make generalizations, predictions,
conclusions, judgments, cause/effect
relationships, compare and contrast, and
sequence of events.
• Infers, implies, suggests, alludes, most
likely means, etc. = the answer is not word
for word in the passage. Different things
hint at the right answer
• 3. Main idea/theme of a paragraph,
paragraphs, or the whole passage
• Main point is not always found in the
opening paragraph or at the beginning of a
paragraph.
• Determine the subject of the paragraph or
passage and then decide what the author
is saying about it
Basic strategies for the test
• 1. Choose the type of passage that you
feel will be the easiest and answer that
passage first.
• 2. Read the heading at the top of the
passage. It will tell you the title, author,
type of passage, the time it was written,
etc. It may contain a clue as to how to
answer the questions.
• 3. Answer the easiest questions first. You
get the same points awarded for getting an
easy question right as you do a hard
question.
• 4. Answer all of the questions of a
particular passage before moving on to a
new passage. (If you leave some
questions until the end of the test, you’ll
have to reread the passage.) If unsure of
one, guess – but mark it so you can come
back to it if you have time.
• 5. Don’t let your own knowledge blind you
to the right answer. Your view point might
be different that the passage’s author.
(science, history, humanities sections)
• 6. Questions are NOT arranged according
to the reading – question one’s answer
may be found anywhere in the passage
• Not arranged according to level of
difficulty. – easy and hard mixed together
• 7. Don’t get bogged down in details – like
on the science passage. You don’t have to
understand “science” in order to get he
right answer. The passage is testing your
reading skills, not your science knowledge.
• 8. Some suggest writing the answers in
your booklet first and then transferring
answers to your answer sheet.
• 9. Sometimes questions will say to look at
a certain line – but you may need to read
lines surrounding it.
• 10. Some will ask you to pick a synonym
for a word. Find the word in the passage
and see how it is used. They usually list
more than one synonym but only one is
used correctly in the passage.
• 11. Tone of the passage should mirror the
tone of the questions.
• If tone is condemning – then answer is
condemning
• If tone is praising – then answer is
praising, etc…
3 Strategies for the
questions/answers
• 1. Read the whole passage first and mark
key words
• 2. Answer the questions
• 1. Look at the questions first – not the
answers- and mark key words in the
questions
• 2. Read the passage and look for answers
to the question
• 1. Skim the passage to know where info is
• 2. Read the questions
• 3. Then read certain sections of the
passage to answer the questions
**Here’s one last hint. Know your
goal.
• If you want to score between 20-26 on the
reading, you may want to focus only on
three passages. If you get all the answers
right on the three passages, your score
will be around a 26. However, you
probably won’t get them all right, so it will
be somewhat lower. If you do focus only
on three passages, remember to leave
time to fill in the bubbles for the last test
since it never hurts to guess.
• Another way to think about this: answer
27 of the questions correctly, and you will
receive a score around 26. Therefore, it is
okay to be stumped on 9 questions and
still receive a 26. But remember – before
the test is over, guess on the 9 that
stumped you.
In a sample passage . . .
• The questions’ answers were found in this
order! 1, 7, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 2, 5
What would I do???
• Scan 3-4 questions and circle key words in
the questions only. Don’t bother reading
answers!
• Read and circle key words in the
paragraph and hopefully answer one or
two questions.
• Scan three or four more questions.
• Continue reading and circle key ideas in
the passage
• Repeat the process