1. The Reading Test

2.  Knowing the variety and the amount of reading that awaits you in college, the ACT has included a reading test.  It’s all about your ability to read and understand what you have read.

3.  Prose fiction:novel or story10 questions  Social Studies:anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, etc. 10 questions  Humanities:architecture, art, dance, film, language, literary criticism, music, philosophy, theater 10 questions  Natural science:anatomy, astronomy, biology, botany chemistry, etc.10 questions

4.  Each passage is about 750 words (2 pages)  No specific order  Scoring is grouped into (1) prose/humanities; (2) social studies/natural science  Questions are not written to stump, trick, or frustrate you.  Yet, they are not totally transparent either

5.  You will need to read carefully and thoughtfully, being alert to all the facts and ideas they contain.  Everything you need to know is right in the passage.  You might have a slight advantage if you happen to know the topic.

6.  40 multiple choice questions  14 questions test what the passages say explicitly-- called referring questions because they refer precisely to what is stated in the passage  The other questions are called reasoning questions: you must reason out by interpreting ideas, making generalizations and drawing inferences and conclusions.

7.  The 10 questions about each passage are arranged according to level of difficulty: easiest questions first, and the hardest last.  The questions ask what the author of the passage thinks and says--- not what the reader believe the author ought to think or say.

8. TEST TACTICS

9. Pace yourself  9 minutes per passage 5 minutes reading 4 minutes to answer 10 questions---25 seconds per question

10. Understand The Test Directions  4 passages with 10 questions each  Fill in the spaces on your answer sheet making sure they correspond  Refer to the passage often and mark it if needed

11. Decide on reading technique: 3 ways  #1Read the passage carefully from start to finish. (Takes longer at the start, but allows you to make up the time later) Don’t try to remember every detail Ask yourself what the passage is about Get the general idea in 2-3 lines After reading, state the author’s main point

12.  #2Skim the passage for its general idea (Saves time and keeps your mind free of needless details) Read fast and decide what type of passage Try to sense what the author is saying Don’t expect to keep details in mind Refer to passage as you answer the questions

13.  # 3Read the questions first, then read the passage (alerts you to the content of the passage) The questions will guide you in reading You can check a sentence when you think it is an answer to a question

14. Concentrate on Paragraph Openings and Closings  Basically consists of 2 or more paragraphs  Except for fiction passages, most will have a topic sentence supported by specific detail  Topic sentence is generally located near the beginning of the paragraph  Sometimes, final sentence will restate main idea (Good check for you!)  Focus on these opening/closing sentences

15. Use Paragraphs as Clues  Writers generally take pains to organize writing  Paragraphs are used to build the main idea  Usually a logical order, but sometimes written to build suspense or surprise reader  Each paragraph in some way will reinforce the writer’s point  Don’t try to find the main idea of each paragraph

16. Suspend Your Prior Knowledge  Because all questions are derived from the passage in front of you, all your answers should be too  Cast aside your prior knowledge  Read both the passage and questions with an open mind

17. Identify Each Question  Referring questions: “What does the passage indicate? According to the passage; The passage clearly indicates; The passage says”  Reasoning questions: “On the basis of information in the passage; Infer from the passage; The passage implies; The passage suggests; Probably means that; One can conclude; The main idea; The primary purpose”

18.  Once you identify the question, you can find the right answer  When referring question, search the passage for explicit material  When reasoning question, perhaps reread the passage’s opening and closing paragraphs and infer the author’s purpose

19. Answer General Questions Before Detail Questions  General questions will ask you to identify the author’s point of view or the main idea of the passage  General questions can usually be answered without rereading the passage  Detail questions require you to reread for a fact or interpretation of a word or phrase--- this takes time. Be careful of these questions

20. Do the Easy Passages First  If natural science is your thing and fiction is a problem, find the natural science passage  Keeping track of numbering is IMPORTANT; don’t miss questions because you got off track  If you are equally comfortable with all 4 types of passages, stick with the order of the test

21. Stay Alert for Switchbacks!  These are the words that alert you to shifts in thoughts-- - most common? “but”  “But” can become a trap: “Candidates for public office do not need to be wealthy, but money helps.”  Other words: although, however, nevertheless, on the other hand, even though, while, in spite of, regardless of