1-on-1 ACT Curriculum English: Rhetorical Skills

ACT English Writing strategy questions focus on the strategies used by a writer to write or revise an essay. There are three types of writing strategy questions: –Adding or deleting sentences –Revising a sentence –Judging the entire paragraph/essay Writing Strategy —Rhetorical Skills

ACT English Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are [1] entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas' instinct is to flee, not attack. [2] But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls too low. [3] Food is scarce for piranhas, and if they are hungry, they may attack anything that enters the water. Writing Strategy — Rhetorical Skills 1.At this point, the writer is considering adding the following phrase: --,except in two situations, -- Given that it is true, would this be a relevant addition to make here? A.Yes, because it gives details about how harmless the piranhas are. B.Yes, because it provides insight to main idea of the paragraph C.No, because it is inconsistent with the style of this paragraph to mention additional situations. D.No, because the information may confuse readers about the piranhas. 2. If the writer were to delete the preceding sentence, the paragraph would primarily lose: F.details of why piranhas are afraid of people. G.transition into the explanation of why a piranha may bite. H.information on how harmless piranhas are. J.details on how strong a piranha’s bite is. 3.The writer wants to add a phrase that describes a concentration of piranhas. Which one of the following phrases would best accomplish the writer’s intention? A.NO CHANGE B.There are several species of piranhas, C.A large number of piranhas may be trapped in a single pool, D.Piranhas are everywhere,

ACT English Organization questions deal with the order and coherence of ideas in an essay. One area the ACT tests organization is with transition words and phrases. –There are three types of transition words: contrasting, supporting, and cause/effect. –For transition questions, you must read before and after the underlined word to see what type of relationship is used. Supporting WordsContrasting WordsCause & Effect Words Organization —Rhetorical Skills

ACT English The other area tested on organization is reorganizing sentences or paragraphs. When you see sentences or paragraphs numbered, be prepared for this type of question. To answer it, read the entire paragraph or the main ideas of each sentence in the passage. Use the context to decide the best order of the sentences or paragraphs. Organization —Rhetorical Skills

ACT English [1] Before a person can begin to analyze the stock market, they need to know what stocks are and the stock market basics. [2] Dave owns a company, GNM Inc., which distributes mp3 players. [3] After one year in business, Dave’s company needs more capital. [4] The following example helps explain what a stock is. [5] Dave can choose to invest his own personal funds or he could acquire investors for his company. [6] People who chose to invest receive a small percentage of ownership in the company. 1 Organization — Rhetorical Skills 1.For the sake of logic and coherence of Paragraph 1, Sentence 4 should be placed: A.where is now. B.after Sentence 1 C.after Sentence 2 D.after Sentence 5

ACT English Style questions involve word choice for tone and clarity. Omit the underlined portion –If you see an answer choice with the words “OMIT the underlined portion”, choose this if the underline portion is redundant or if the underlined portion has no relation to the paragraph. Tone and word choice –The ACT does test you for proper tone and word choice. Use context to help determine this. –Beware of slang and informal language. –The tone of the essay affects what words you should use. Style— Rhetorical Skills

ACT English Turn to Practice Test 4 in Real ACT Prep Guide and work through problems Try it Out