When taking the ACT test, do not attempt to understand the text as you would do in your English class. Rather, understand that you get credit for getting right answers.

English Class ACT Test  Read the text several times for understanding  It is important to read the entire text  You can often discuss topics with the teacher and class and get varied answers  Read the questions for better understanding  It is important to target your text to complete on time.  There is only one correct answer that is supported by the text.

 Every second is important, so make it count  Think critically about the author/characters; do not let your opinion get in the way  Do not underline everything, it becomes meaningless  Do underline key aspects such as the name of important people, events, locations, etc.

 You will have 35 minutes to complete the Reading section of the ACT  You will answer 40 questions related to 4 passages including:  Prose fiction  Social Sciences  Humanities  Natural Science  Answer the passages in the best order for YOU!

The key to understanding the natural science, social science and humanities passages is finding the AUTHOR’s main argument.  These 3 kinds of passages offer a lot of details; do not let this distract you!  Try to find the author’s argument by finding the thesis in the first paragraph.  Do not try to remember all the events and/or details (the text is in front of you, go back to the passage if you need to).

 Essentially, there will be two types of questions to test your knowledge of long passages. The first type of question will ask you to literally comprehend the meaning of the passage. The second type of questions can be described as reasoning questions and will ask you to understand SLIGHTLY beyond the literal meaning of the passage.

 ___ According to the passage in line 9, “spell” most nearly means  ___ In lines 10–22, the author notes that a “hard day’s work” does all of the following EXCEPT  ___ In lines 31–33, the author mentions the loss of Alice’s innocence in order to  ___ The author’s tone in lines 31–34 could most accurately be characterized as  ___ In line 7, “harassing” most closely means  ___ The author suggest that athletes  ___ The “Good Walk Spoiled” (line 32) most likely refers to a  ___ In paragraph 4, the author argues that dancing helps the elderly of America by

 2 According to the passage in line 9, “spell” most nearly means  5 In lines 10–22, the author notes that a “hard day’s work” does all of the following EXCEPT  4 In lines 31–33, the author mentions the loss of Alice’s innocence in order to  8 The author’s tone in lines 31–34 could most accurately be characterized as  1 In line 7, “harassing” most closely means  7 The author suggest that athletes  3 The “Good Walk Spoiled” (line 32) most likely refers to a  6 In paragraph 4, the author argues that dancing helps the elderly of America by

Easy QuestionsHard Questions Ask about the passage Usually specific Can be done quickly (do these 1st) Questions include “Vocab in context, line reference, and lead phrase” Worth one point Ask about the author Usually not specific Take a bit more time (do these 2nd) Questions include “author’s argument, tone, main point, etc…” Worth one point

Question TypeQuestions Type Easy Most SpecificHard most general 1-Word 1-Sentence Comprehension Questions Ask about what passage says/means 1- Paragraph Whole Passage Reasoning questions Ask about author, author’s argument Often use words like “Implies” “suggest,” “infer”

Prose Fiction Passages from short stories or novels

Architecture, Art, Dance, Ethics, Film, Language, Literary Criticism, Memoir, Music, Personal Essays, Philosophy, Radio, Television, Theater

Anthropology, Archaeology, Biography, Business, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

Anatomy, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Ecology, Geology, Medicine, Meteorology, Microbiology, Natural History, Physiology, Physics, Technology, Zoology

The reading test evaluates your ability to understand the passages that appear in the test. It does not test your ability to remember relevant facts from outside the passage. You don’t need to be knowledgeable about the subject matter, but you do need to read attentively and think carefully about what you read.

Passages generally include: ❖ Narration of events ❖ Revelation of character ❖ Plot, characters, mood ❖ Be aware of mood or tone, relationships of the characters, emotion implied by what characters say and how they say it

Humanities passages describe or analyze ideas or works of art. They are written as fact: ❖ present information, pay attention to author and point of view ❖ may have to project the author’s likely response ❖ identify relationships between events, ideas, people, trends or modes of thought

Social Studies passages typically present information gathered by research: ❖ Names, dates, concepts ❖ Cause-effect, comparisons, sequence of events ❖ Watch the specifics as they relate to the overall idea

❖ Presents a science topic and an explanation of the topic’s significance ❖ Relationships between natural phenomena, not relationships between characters ❖ Cause-effect relationships, comparisons, sequences of events ❖ May include specialized or technical language. The passage will provide clues to their meaning.

Identify and interpret details Determine the main idea of a paragraph or passage Understand relationships compare/contrast Understand cause-effect

Make generalizations Determine the meaning of words from context Understand sequences of events Draw conclusions about the author’s voice and method

Read each question carefully, so you know what is being asked. Some people like to answer the easier questions first, then go back to the more difficult ones. Most experts believe you should answer all questions related to one passage before moving on. Try to eliminate choices you’re certain are incorrect. Refer back to the passage.

Look for the best answer, but read and consider all of the options. Ask yourself whether you can justify your choice as the best answer. Answer all the questions, you’re not penalized for guessing.

he text. ck up the book. Reading at a 45-degree angle is easier on the eyes than off a flat surface. Never read without a pen. By moving the tip of a pen beneath a line, your eyes will instinctively follow, speeding you up. On a computer, run the onscreen cursor under the text. Pick up the book. Reading at a 45-degree angle is easier on the eyes than off a flat surface. Relax your eyes. Focus on full lines, not specific words, using peripheral vision. Move your head, and pay attention to the upper half of letters. Kill that voice in your head. Silently repeating words slows you down. To break the habit, try quietly humming. Keep on moving. Resist the urge to "regress" and reread. Relax your eyes. Focus on full lines, not specific words, using peripheral vision. Move your head, and pay attention to the upper half of letters. Kill that voice in your head. Silently repeating words slows you down. To break the habit, try quietly humming. Keep moving. Resist the urge to "regress" and reread.

You must minimize the number and duration of fixations per line to increase speed You must eliminate regression and back-skipping to increase speed. You must use conditioning drills to increase horizontal peripheral vision span and the number of words registered per fixation.