ACT English Test The ACT English test is 75 questions long. There are five passages of 15 questions. 36 seconds a question 8 minutes a passage 45 minutes for the entire test Use your entire time. If you finish early check over your answers. You only get three time cues: Begin, five minutes remaining, stop. Scan each paragraph, and then go back and answer the questions that are in that paragraph. To achieve the average national score of 20 on the ACT English test, you need to answer at least 2/3 of the questions correctly (That is 10/15 per passage or 50/75 for the English test).

Skimming the Paragraphs It usually pays to skim each paragraph to get a sense of how it’s shaped and what it’s about. The skimming technique is simple: You skim the paragraph, then do the questions it contains, and so forth.

Three-Step Method for Answering ACT English Questions Step 1: Ask: “Does this stuff belong here?” Make sure the underlined phrase makes sense in its location in the sentence and that it is as concise as possible. Step 2: Ask: “Does this stuff make sense?” Make sure the sentences flow together and make logical sense. Step 3: Ask: “Does this stuff sound like English?” Grammatical errors will most likely sound wrong to your ear, so trust your instinct! Don’t concentrate solely on the technical rules of grammar and punctuation.

Economy Questions One third of the English questions are “Economy” questions: testing for long-windedness, repetition, and irrelevance. Look for the answer that makes the sentence as concise as possible. Remember that longer is not always better! Note: When OMIT is the choice, it is the shortest answer, since taking the material out leaves a shorter text than leaving anything in.

The Three Rules of Economy Questions Redundancy: The text in the sentence should never repeat itself. Verbosity: Write concisely, as long as it is grammatically correct. The best way to write something (on the ACT) is the shortest way. Irrelevance: Omit the ideas that are not directly related to the purpose of the passage.

the final performance of one last ACT of the Day After practice landing, the French instructor nodded to the young African-American woman at the controls and jumped down to the ground. Bessie Coleman was on her own now. the final performance of one last 1 (1) A. NO CHANGE B. one finally ultimate C. one final D. one last final

both semesters of the two-semester year ACT of the Day both semesters of the two-semester year 6 After at Langston Industrial College, Coleman headed for Chicago to see what could be done to realize a dream. Ever since she saw her first airplane when she was a little girl, Coleman had known that someday, somehow, she would fly. (6) A. NO CHANGE B. a year C. a year like two full semesters D. one year filled with two semesters

The year in which she was born was about a century ago. ACT of the Day It was a long journey from the American Southwest, where she’d been born in 1893, to these French skies. There hadn't been much of a future for her in Oklahoma then. The year in which she was born was about a century ago. 5 (5) A. NO CHANGE B. It is now just about a century since the year of her birth. C. Just about a century has passed since the year of her birth. D. OMIT the underlined portion.

When in Doubt… On a real ACT, more than twenty questions—almost one third of all the English items—test your awareness of redundancy, verbosity, relevance, and similar issues. For economy questions, the shortest answer is very often correct. That’s why the first thing you should ask yourself for each question is “Does this stuff make sense? Can the passage or sentence work without it?” When in doubt, take it out!

Sense Questions ACT expects you to use words efficiently, and that, in fact, the shortest answer is right remarkably often; however, obviously, the shortest answer is sometimes wrong. What could make it wrong? It may not mean what it says. After deciding whether or not the selection in a question is concise and relevant (step 1), the next step is to make sure the sentence says exactly what it is supposed to mean. If not, it is your job to fix it.

ACT of the Day Coping with a foreign language and flying in capricious, unstable machines held together with baling wire was daunting, but Coleman persevered. daily 10 (10) A. NO CHANGE B. (Place after with) C. (Place after flying) D. (Place after in)

ACT of the Day [1] While there, she had as one of her instructors Anthony Fokker, the famous aircraft designer. [2] Bessie Coleman took a quick course in French, settled her affairs, and sailed for Europe. [3] Coping with a foreign language and flying daily in capricious, unstable machines held together with baling wire was daunting, but Coleman persevered. (11) Which of the following sequences of sentences will make Paragraph 4 most logical? A. NO CHANGE B. 1, 3, 2 C. 2, 1, 3 D. 3, 2, 1

Good Grammar Makes Sense The ACT test makers include questions to test many different rules of writing mechanics. Though it is not necessary to think about rules to answer the questions, familiarity with the rules can give you an alternative approach. The more ways you have to think about a question, the more likely you are to find the right answer.

Good Grammar Makes Sense (cont.) Completeness: Every sentence should consist of an entire thought. Sentence Structure: Avoid both fragments and run-ons Modifiers: Modifiers should be a close as possible to the things they modify. Idiom: Make sure all words in the sentence are used in the correct manner.

ACT of the Day up 2 Bessie Coleman was on her own now. She lined the nose of the open cockpit biplane on the runway's center history. (2) A. NO CHANGE B. off C. along D. OMIT the underlined portion.

Good Grammar Makes Sense (cont.) Pronouns: Make it explicit to whom or to what the pronoun refers. Logic: Structural clues must be logical! Verb usage: Make sure the verbs match their subject and the tense surrounding the verb context. Tone: The tone of the text should be kept consistent.

ACT of the Day Bessie Coleman was on her own now. She lined up the nose of the open cockpit biplane on the runway's center gave the engine full throttle, and took off into history. mark, she 3 (3) A. NO CHANGE B. mark, C. mark, Coleman D. mark that

Coleman, earned an international pilot’s license, ACT of the Day issued by the International Aeronautical Federation. Not only was she the first black woman to win her pilot's wings, she was the first American woman to hold this coveted license. Coleman, earned an international pilot’s license, 12 (12) A. NO CHANGE B. Coleman earned an international pilot's license C. Coleman, earned an international pilot's license D. Coleman earned an international pilot's license;

Nonstandard-Format English Questions Judging the Passage: Some questions ask about the passage as a whole. They are looking for the main point—the gist of the passage—as well as the over all tone and style. Make sure that your answer is in keeping with the logical “flow” of the passage. Reading-Type Questions: One reason you should focus on what the passage means, rather than on picky grammar rules or punctuation, is that the ACT often asks these type of questions.

ACT of the Day Bessie Coleman: In Flight [1]     After one final practice landing, the French instructor nodded to the young African-American woman at the controls and jumped down to the ground. Bessie Coleman was on her own now. She lined up the nose of the open cockpit biplane on the runway's center mark, gave the engine full throttle, and took off into history. [2]     It was a long journey from the American Southwest, where she’d been born in 1893, to these French skies. There hadn't been much of a future for her in Oklahoma then. After a year at Langston Industrial College, Coleman headed for Chicago to see what could be done to realize a dream. Ever since she saw her first airplane when she was a little girl, Coleman had known that someday, somehow, she would fly. [3]     Try as she might, however, Coleman could not obtain flying lessons anywhere in the city. Then she sought aid from Robert S. Abbott of the Chicago Weekly Defender. The newspaperman got in touch with a flight school in France that was willing to teach this determined young woman to fly. [4]    While there, she had as one of her instructors Anthony Fokker, the famous aircraft designer. Bessie Coleman took a quick course in French, settled her affairs, and sailed for Europe. Coping with a foreign language and flying daily in capricious, unstable machines held together with baling wire was daunting, but Coleman persevered. [5]     On June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman earned an international pilot's license issued by the International Aeronautical Federation. Not only was she the first black woman to win her pilot's wings, she was the first American woman to hold this coveted license. [6]     She was ready for a triumphant return to the United States to barnstorm and lecture, proof that if the will is strong enough, one's dream can be attained. The writer intends to add the following sentence to the essay in order to provide a comparison that would help underline the challenges that Bessie Coleman faced: Her dream of becoming the world's first black woman pilot seemed as remote in Chicago as it had been in Oklahoma. In order to accomplish this purpose, it would be most logical and appropriate to place this sentence after the: (15) A. first sentence in Paragraph 2. B. first sentence in Paragraph 3. C. last sentence in Paragraph 3. D. first sentence in Paragraph 5.