ACT Reading Preparation (for use in Social Science)

ACT Reading Preparation (for use in Social Science)
University of Illinois-Chicago Curriculum Framework Project Spring 2011

Schedule for Lesson #1 Introduction to Test Strategies

Introduction to the Test: Why Prepare for the ACT?
SKILLS Tested on the ACT: Main Idea Supporting Details Inference These lessons will focus on TEST TAKING STRATEGIES.

Introduction to the Test: Order of Passages
The ACT Reading passages almost always appear in the following order: Prose Fiction Social Science Humanities Natural Science

Introduction to the Test: Order of Passages
By practicing with these passages, you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses. Start with your strengths.

Why is it important to start with your strengths?
Pause and Consider Why is it important to start with your strengths? TIME!!!! Many students do not finish all 4 passages and 40 questions.

Introduction to the Test: Content of the Reading Test
Prose Fiction (25%) 885 words Questions based on intact short stories or excerpts from short stories or novels.

Social Science (25%) 775 words Questions based on passages that may include: anthropology, archaeology, economics, history, political science, and sociology.

Humanities (25%) 600 Words Often from first-person narrative perspective Questions based on passages that may include: art, dance, music, philosophy, and theater

Natural Sciences (25%) 545 words Questions based on passages about topics such as: astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, physics, and zoology Reading test is difficult--unknown topics purposely chosen so you are forced to read And not use background knowledge. Realize that if you don’t know anything About the topic, other students probably don’t either. Passages are edited to be very dense--very little useless info. Speed reading Techniques will not help here. Questions are not in order of difficulty. Sometimes the hardest question of the 10 Is the very first one--don’t get discouraged.

Which of the 4 passages do you feel is your biggest strength?
Pause and Consider Which of the 4 passages do you feel is your biggest strength? WHY?

Introduction to the Test: Reading Question Categories
Main Idea Questions (MI) Supporting Detail Questions (SD) Inference/Evaluation Questions (I)

Introduction to the Test: Main Idea Questions
Understanding theme/thesis Understanding author’s purpose Determine which of the answer choices best summarizes the information presented in the passage either as a whole or in a specific paragraph.

Introduction to the Test: Main Idea Question Stems
Which of the following is the main point…? The main argument the author makes about. . . is: What is the main purpose of [a specific paragraph or line]?

Introduction to the Test: Supporting Details Questions
Shows understanding of individual points Demonstrate comprehension and careful understanding Determine which fact(s) best supports main idea. Sequence the events in the passage

Introduction to the Test: Supporting Details Question Stems
According to the [a specific paragraph/section/passage]… Who/when/what/where did… According to the passage, all of the following are true about EXCEPT. . . The passage makes it clear that…

Introduction to the Test: Inference-Evaluation Questions
Make judgments Identify the implications of the supporting details in the passage. Draw conclusions based on reading the passage Determine the author’s idea through generalization of the facts

Introduction to the Test: Inference-Evaluation Questions
Analyze cause-and-effect relationships Identify multiple meanings of a word and determine its definition with context clues from the passage Determine the implications of the author’s general tone or attitude

Introduction to the Test: Inference-Evaluation Question Stems
The author suggests/implies/ that… It can most reasonably be inferred that the author…. With which of the following statements would the author agree? According to the passage, the WORD/TERM ‘…’ means which of the following? The idea….is best exemplified by which of the following quotations from the passage? The attitude of the author toward x is…

Introduction to the Test: Roman Numeral Questions
3 or 4 statements each labeled with a Roman numeral. Treat each as true-false statement. Save time by figuring out which statements are false & eliminating answers that contain that answer. Which of the following subjects are covered on the ACT: I. English Usage II. Math III. Gymnastics A. I and II only B. I and III only C. II and III only D. I, II, and III

Schedule for Lesson #1 Introduction to Test Testing Strategies

Tests & Strategies: Part 1
General Strategies: Improve Your Reading Habits Pace Yourself Leave Nothing Blank If Necessary, Concentrate on Three Passages Most Carefully Know Nonfiction v. Fiction Passages Prioritize Your Tasks

General Strategy #1: Improve Your Reading Habits
Read editorials Editorials from good newspapers and some magazines are approximately the same length as ACT passages. They also cover a variety of topics which broadens your knowledge base. Better background knowledge = faster, more accurate reading. Read high quality texts Make it a habit to read magazines and newspapers such as U.S. News, Time, The New Yorker, NY Times, Discovery, Science, Smithsonian, Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic, The Nation, The New Republic, Harpers, and Atlantic Read reviews and criticism. Read columnists.

Be Aware of Your Reading Habits
Don’t mouth the words! Keep eyes moving! Think about groups of text rather than individual words. Determine how fast you can skim and still comprehend.

Concentrate on Your Reading
Force yourself to pay close attention. Know the difference between your interacting voice and your distracting voice. Interacting voice: the voice that makes connections, asks questions, identifies confusions, agrees and disagrees with ideas. This voice deepens the reader’s understanding of the text. Distracting voice: the voice that pulls the reader away from the meaning of the text. Practice reading with concentration until you can do so easily.

What is the first step you can take to improve?
Pause and Consider On which of these “Reading Habits” do you MOST need to improve? What is the first step you can take to improve?

General Strategy #2: Pace Yourself
You have 35 minutes to answer 40 questions on the reading. This means 8 minutes and 45 seconds per passage/ten questions. This is NOT ENOUGH TIME to understand everything in the passages!

General Strategy #3: Leave None Blank
There is no penalty for guessing, so it is to your advantage to answer every question during the time allowed for that test. Make sure to leave time for guessing on the reading test. Many people will have to guess on the last passage so leave at least 30 seconds to fill in extra bubbles.

General Strategy #4: Concentrate on Three Passages (if necessary)
If you: find yourself unable to push your reading to complete all four passages in the time you have, then… aim to read three really well. can answer 30 questions correctly, then… you will still find your score a 26 on this section. With some good guessing for the last ten, you might raise that to a 30.

General Strategy #5: Nonfiction vs Fiction Passages
The approach you take to reading the passages should be different for these two types of passages. Fiction and often Humanities passages are inferential (abstract, not concrete) and must be read “between the lines.” The non-fiction passages do not need such a close reading for you to be successful.

General Strategy #6: Prioritize Your Tasks
GO WITH YOUR STRENGTHS! LOOK AT 4 PASSAGES & COMPLETE THE EASIEST FIRST PREVIEW FIRST AND LAST SENTENCES (prereading) A quick preview allows you to answer: “What is the topic of the selection?”

General Strategy #6: Prioritize Your Tasks
READ THE TITLE OF THE PASSAGE Read to answer the questions. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS Don’t waste time on ones you don’t know- guess or leave time to go back . ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS FOR A PASSAGE BEFORE MOVING ON!

Schedule for Lesson #1 Introduction to Test Testing Strategies

Schedule for Lesson #2: Active Reading
Structural Clues Annotating Hinge Words

Active Reading: Structural Clues
Each passage was written by a PERSON, and people write for a purpose. Some authors want to trace historical causes or consequences. Some authors want to critique a theory. Some authors want to draw a comparison between two things. Some authors want to tell a story. Some authors just want to describe something.

Why is it important to figure out WHY an author wrote a passage? Many questions ask you what the AUTHOR means, NOT what YOU think! Knowing what the AUTHOR would say can help you answer confusing questions!

Think of the passage as a map Questions are like hints as to where to go next The passage gives you the rest: Anticipate author’s direction by noticing structural clues (how passage is organized, where paragraphs break, what words are bold or italicized)

Look up the answers Don’t remember them—find them! Think of the passage as a reference book and refer back. Don’t trust your memory!

Active Reading: Annotate
WRITE ON THE TEST as you read!! Use different marks to mean different things. Circle names of people Underline critical phrases, terms, main ideas Number (“1,” “2,” “3,” etc.) ideas in a sequence No matter what, underline “key words” in the question stem. Look for those “key words” in the passage.

Active Reading: Example from Humanities (56A)
Question Text from Passage 21. The passage indicates that religion, support groups, and soap operas are alike in that they all: A. Are circulated by a common culture B. Provide a way to combat loneliness. C. Appear intimate but are remote. D. Enable people to participate vicariously. “Undoubtedly, each of these notions does explain part of the soaps’ mass appeal. Soaps can ease the loneliness and boredom of life. They do offer advice, sometimes implicitly, often explicitly, on what to wear, how to conduct love affairs, how to save a marriage, how to handle one’s children, how to cope with heartache, how to enjoy the intrigue of romance.” (lines 19-25) “Loneliness, we are repeatedly told, has become pandemic in America…Whether through religion, clubs, associations, or support groups—or through daily immersion in a favorite soap—many Americans search for some kind of communal life to counter varying degrees of social isolation and alienation.” (lines 42-48)

Active Reading: Example from Social Science (56A)
Question Text from Passage 13. The passage indicates that at the time of the women’s suffrage movement, one of the fundamental assumptions of American politics was that the basic political unit was the: A. Individual voter. B. Precinct C. Village or town D. Family “Women’s suffrage challenged one of the fundamental assumptions of American politics: that the basic unit of political life was the family, with the father standing at its head representing and protecting his wife and children in the wider world. To grant suffrage to women would be to break up that fundamental unit.” (lines 12-18)

Active Reading: Hinge Words
Underline or circle hinge words Words or phrases that are used to alert you to shifts in thought Words or phrases that are used to drive a point home Answers are often located near hinge words! Common Hinge Words but, although, yet, however, as a result, nevertheless, on the other hand, despite, while, in spite of, consequently, therefore, thus, alternatively

Active Reading: Example from Social Science (56A)
Question Text from Passage 15. The passage presents the information that in 1910 “women could vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado” (lines 6-7) primarily to make the point that the: A. Women’s suffrage movement had made little progress up to that time. B. Women’s suffrage movement was just then beginning to get started. C. Women’s suffrage movement has made tremendous strides since then. D. Western states were the first to be receptive to the cause of women’s suffrage. “In 1910 the fight for women’s suffrage was more than sixty years old, a national campaign by the National American Woman Suffrage Association was twenty years old, and yet women could vote in only Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado.” (lines 3-7) (this implies that there HAD been action, but the word “yet” tells you that the long period of action had not accomplished much!!!)

Schedule for Lesson #2: Active Reading
Structural Clues Annotating Hinge Words

Schedule for Lesson #3 Examine Specific Questions from Practice Test 56A Identify Strategies to Help Answer Difficult Questions Practice the Strategies

Practice Test Question 11: Supporting Details
Text from Passage 11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that: A. Women were indeed individuals deserving of their own rights. B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage. C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors. D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools. ”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors.” (lines 44-46)

Strategies to Help Answer This Question
Active Reading: Underline “key words” in the question stem. Identify which key words in the question stem also appear in the text. Look back at the passage! Do not try to REMEMBER the answer. When looking at the answer choices, think about meanings, not exact words.

Text from Passage 11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that: A. Women were indeed individuals deserving of their own rights. B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage. C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors. D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools. ”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors.” (lines 44-46)

Text from Passage 12. At the women’s right meeting in Seneca Falls, all of the following were called for EXCEPT the right to: A. Vote in elections. B. Enter any profession. C. Divorce abusive husbands. D. Receive equal education. “When Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women’s rights meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848, the many goals that were at first identified as worthy of support did not include the vote. Women wanted property rights, the right to divorce abusive husbands, the right to an education equal to any man’s, and the right to join any profession. But the idea of the vote seemed too extreme.” (lines 37-44)

Active Reading: Identify Hinge Words “BUT” Active Reading: Underline Key Words in the Question Stem “NOT” Look back at the text!!

Text from Passage 12. At the women’s right meeting in Seneca Falls, all of the following were called for EXCEPT the right to: A. Vote in elections. B. Enter any profession. C. Divorce abusive husbands. D. Receive equal education. “When Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women’s rights meeting at Seneca Falls in 1848, the many goals that were at first identified as worthy of support did not include the vote. Women wanted property rights, the right to divorce abusive husbands, the right to an education equal to any man’s, and the right to join any profession. But the idea of the vote seemed too extreme.” (lines 37-44)

Practice Test Question 22: Inference—Meaning of Words
Text from Passage 22. As it is used in line 65, the word engendered most nearly means: F. Diminished G. Produced H. Denied J. Discouraged “Here lies the extraordinary appeal and irony of the daytime soap opera; it is circulated by the very commercial culture which has engendered the need for it in the first place.” (lines 63-66)

Look back at the text! Reread the lines before AND after the word in the question stem. Identify “hinge words” that help you understand the overall sentence. Read the answer choices carefully.

Text from Passage 22. As it is used in line 65, the word engendered most nearly means: F. Diminished G. Produced H. Denied J. Discouraged Choices F, H, and J are all the OPPOSITE of choice G. Each is too similar to be the right answer. Therefore, G is the logical choice! “Here lies the extraordinary appeal and irony of the daytime soap opera; it is circulated by the very commercial culture which has engendered the need for it in the first place.” (lines 63-66)

Text from Passage 19. As it is used in line 24, the word liability most nearly means: A. Obligation B. Drawback C. Probability D. Result “But women’s ideological advantage in the United States was offset by a crippling liability—the central importance of the family to maintaining social order.” (lines 23-26)

Look back at the passage! Reread the lines before AND after the word in the question stem. Look for “hinge words” that help you understand the overall sentence.

Text from Passage 19. As it is used in line 24, the word liability most nearly means: A. Obligation B. Drawback C. Probability D. Result Hinge word! “But women’s ideological advantage in the United States was offset by a crippling liability—the central importance of the family to maintaining social order.” (lines 23-26) “crippling” has a negative connotation! (just like “drawback”)

Schedule for Lesson #4 Distracters Defined Examples of Distracters Practice Overcoming Distracters

Understand Distracters
Distracters = the “other” answer choices Distracters are THINKING CHALLENGES designed to make wrong answers seem correct Prey upon your tendency to rush They are supposed to DISTRACT YOU Inference Questions: seek opinions from facts The answers are not directly stated in the reading Read your “road map” differently ACT constantly tries to make distracters more distracting Practice with them!

The FOUR Types of Distracters
The Distortion The Shift The Unsupported Positive The Extreme

Distracters: The Trick
There is often ONE distracter that is REALLY DIFFICULT to get around. Watch out for this distracter. Which one depends on the question.

Distracter #1: The Distortion
The answer choice is wrong, either completely or partially. It cannot be verified by the passage. Adds words Takes out words Flips words Something as subtle as a not or un- in a choice or question can be the key to the correct answer.

Distracter #2: The Switch
Answer choices may actually appear in the text BUT…it’s not the answer to the question you’re trying to answer Watch for choices that look like statements in the passage--direct repetition. Remember-this is not a matching test! You must understand meanings, not just words!

Distracter #3: The Unsupported Positive
Choices that sound great - warm and fuzzy SEEM reasonable and correct Know your own biases and prejudices Just because the choice says “because love is all we need,” doesn’t mean it’s is the answer to the question you are being asked!

Distracter #4: The Extreme
An incorrect answer choice may include extreme words such as “always” and “completely” An incorrect answer may go too far—the author would not agree with how far the answer choice goes If you can think of one exception, or if the answer is debatable, then the extreme answer choice is incorrect. Not all extreme answer choices are incorrect.

Example of Distortion (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question Text from Passage 11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that: A. Women were indeed individuals deserving of their own rights. B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage. C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors. D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools. ”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors. They accepted coeducation, because universities needed students and society needed trained teachers. But the vote was something else. To give women the vote would mean recognizing them as individuals with their own rights and interests.” (lines 44-51)

Distracter #1: Distortion
Which distracter is a “DISTORTION?

Example of Distortion (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question Text from Passage 11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that: A. Women were indeed individuals deserving of their own rights. B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage. C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors. D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools. ”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors. They accepted coeducation, because universities needed students and society needed trained teachers. But the vote was something else. To give women the vote would mean recognizing them as individuals with their own rights and interests.” (lines 44-51) This idea is nowhere in the passage!

Remember Distracter #2? The Switch
Answer choices may actually appear in the text BUT…it’s not the answer to the question you’re trying to answer Watch for choices that look like statements in the passage--direct repetition. Remember-this is not a matching test! You must understand meanings, not just words!

Example of Switch (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Which distracter is a “SWITCH”?
Distracter #2: Switch Which distracter is a “SWITCH”?

Example of Switch (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question Text from Passage 11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that: A. Women were indeed individuals deserving of their own rights. B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage. C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors. D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools. ”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors. They accepted coeducation, because universities needed students and society needed trained teachers. But the vote was something else. To give women the vote would mean recognizing them as individuals with their own rights and interests.” (lines 44-51) This is why men agreed to coeducation, but NOT property rights! READ and REREAD QUESTIONS!!!

Remember Distracter #3? The Unsupported Positive
Choices that sound great - warm and fuzzy SEEM reasonable and correct Know your own biases and prejudices Just because the choice says “because love is all we need,” doesn’t mean it’s is the answer to the question you are being asked!

Example of Unsupported Positive (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)

Distracter #3: Unsupported Positive
Which distracter is an “UNSUPPORTED POSITIVE”?

Example of Unsupported Positive (Practice Test 56A, Social Science)
Question Text from Passage 11. The passage indicates that women’s demand for property rights was agreed to primarily because men realized that: A. Women were indeed individuals deserving of their own rights. B. If they gave in on the property rights issue, they’d be able to hold firm on suffrage. C. Conceding the right would provide men with a way to protect themselves from creditors. D. Women had unique interests and were needed as students in universities and teachers in schools. ”Men gradually agreed to extend property rights to women, because property in a wife’s name could save a man from his creditors. They accepted coeducation, because universities needed students and society needed trained teachers. But the vote was something else. To give women the vote would mean recognizing them as individuals with their own rights and interests.” (lines 44-51) Sounds nice, right? HOWEVER, this is NOT why men gave property rights. In fact, they did NOT want this!

Remember Distracter #4? The Extreme
An incorrect answer choice may include extreme words such as “always” and “completely” An incorrect answer may go too far—the author would not agree with how far the answer choice goes If you can think of one exception, or if the answer is debatable, then the extreme answer choice is incorrect. Not all extreme answer choices are incorrect.

Extreme: Examples --Europeans won all their battles.”
--they established an ideal community --the bank was always busy. --Impressionism was an entirely different style of painting. --It was impossible for him to overcome his past. --Men were incapable of recognizing the equality of women

You can do this!!! Be better tomorrow than you were yesterday!
Focus, discipline, and PRACTICE are the keys to success!!! Be better tomorrow than you were yesterday!

ACT Reading Preparation (for use in Social Science)

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