ACT Reading Test Strategies Mr. Brashear College Reading

Strategies and Techniques Slow down; focus on two or three of the passages. Guess on the remaining questions. Why? – National Average on the ACT Reading Test is 21. – This means that a person will answer correctly approximately HALF of the questions.

Techniques (cont’d) By guessing on the last portion, statistically there are four options, leaving you with a 25% chance of getting it correct. Guessing on 20 could yield 5 correct answers.

“Sacrificing” a Reading Passage Most students will not have time to complete the passage. Choose a passage or two that will be “sacrificed” for Time Management. How? – Look at the subject matter. – Which passage gives you the most trouble? – Let practice tests taken help you decide

General Strategies Don’t read the passage, but read loosely and only dwell on information you are sure is important… Don’t use context clues the first time you skim through a passage. – But how do you suggest we do that?

Read Question Stems Read stems first. These contain useful information referring to specific names or terms, and line numbers. Be careful to focus energy on parts that lead to correct answers. DO NOT read answer choices.

Read Stems (cont’d) When you see a line reference, locate those lines and MAKE A NOTE in the margin. Write the question number next to the parentheses.

Determine the Main Idea Topic—What is the passage about? Scope—What aspect of the topic does the passage focus on? Purpose—Why did the author write the passage? The introductory paragraph often indicates the topic or topics discussed. Read carefully here.

Paraphrase Question Stems Find the information that answers the question. Answer the question in your mind first to determine the correct direction. DON’T read answers; they were created to confuse. “So what they are really saying is…”

Read and Answer Questions Some questions ask to draw conclusions; answer these based on information. Read a little before and a little after the lines referenced in order to get all necessary information—at least the entire sentence of the line referenced. DON’T assume the answer is correct if you don’t understand it! Refer to passage often.

Process of Elimination It is reliable, but SLOW. Last-ditch effort strategy IF you cannot predict an answer or it is not listed.

Question Types Main Idea—Topic, Scope, and Purpose Specific Detail—Refer to the passage—line or paragraph mentioned. Conclusion Inference—Find strong evidence, Extrapolation—Questions ask to go beyond passage and find answers that are true based on what was read. Be sensitive to tone or attitude. Vocabulary in Context--read the answer choices and pay attention to the line reference. Read entire sentence at least to determine the meaning in context.