ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act english— punctuation and apostrophe’s
Here are some overall guidelines for the ACT English section:
1. Do NOT plan to skip over parts of the passage; about a quarter of the
questions are based either on the entire passage or how a sentence or
paragraph fits into the passage.
2. Even if the answer choices contain only a word or two, make sure you
understand the entire sentence—what the author is trying to say.
3. In any punctuation question, read the simplest choice (that is, the one
with the least punctuation) into the sentence. It’s clear that teenagers
are very fond of commas, so it’s important that you find a choice that
doesn’t force you to decide whether to take commas out.
4. Whenever you see a verb underlined, you must find the subject. It’s
likely that the subject, if it’s nowhere nearby, will be singular when the
verb is plural, and vice versa.
5. You will never be asked to make a creative decision regarding a
verb’s tense. Your tense decisions will be easier if you note the tense of
surrounding, non-underlined verbs.
6. Apostrophe’s (did you catch that?) are never used to make noun’s
plural! Do we drive car’s and fly on plane’s?
7. The pronouns “they,” “their,” and “them” are plural, even though we
regularly use them in everyday conversation to stand in for singular
nouns. (“A person shouldn’t leave their backpack on the sidewalk.”)
8. Often, near the end of a question set, you’ll face a very long question
that asks about something you read two or three paragraphs ago. If
you have a time problem, you should guess and go.
3/12/08
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act english—passage 1
ENGLISH TEST
45 Minutes-75 Questions
DIRECTIONS: In the five passages that follow, certain words and phrases are underlined and numbered. In the right-hand column, you will find alternatives for
each underlined part. You are to choose the one that best expresses the idea, makes the statement appropriate for standard written English, or is worded most
consistently with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. If you think the original version is best, choose “NO CHANGE.”
Tessa Finn, Wildlife Biologist
[A]
1.
They call her Tessa of the Wolves. Wildlife
1
biologist Tessa Finn studies wolves in their native
habitat in a remote wilderness in the Northwest.
2.
It being her base, Finn’s eighty-year-old cabin is thirty2
five miles from the nearest paved road. It has little
3
running water, electricity, or phone, and Glacier
3.
National Park is just across the river that flows
past her cabin door.
4
4.
5.
[B]
Because of her isolation, Finn has had to become
self-sufficient. She heats the cabin with
6.
5
firewood, she chops herself, and hunts wild game
6
for food. Much of her time is spent trapping wolves in
order to radio-collar (put a tracking device on) them. Once
a wolf is collared, its movements are easy to follow and
7
record. And though she often comes across dangerous
grizzlies, Finn carries no weapon as she makes the rounds
of her traps. While checking her traps, she packs supplies.
8
7.
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
Wolves, wildlife
Wolves. Wildlife,
Wolves, specializing in wildlife
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
Her base is an eighty-year-old cabin
Being an eighty-year-old cabin, it is her base
Finn’s cabin, it being an eighty-year-old base, is
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
less
few
no
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
passed her cabin
passed her cabin’s
past her cabins’
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
cabin which is her base
cabin, her home base,
cabin, which is eighty years old
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
firewood, she chops herself
firewood she chops, herself
firewood she chops herself
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
whereby its
it’s
their
8. Which of the alternatives best provides new, specific
details about the equipment Tessa Finn uses for the
purpose of trapping and collaring wolves?
a) NO CHANGE
b) To manage the wolves, she packs a four-foot pole,
tranquilizers, and a hypodermic needle.
c) Safely collaring a wolf requires equipment, which she
brings with her when she checks her traps.
d) Although she doesn’t bring weapons, she arms herself
with equipment.
act english—passage 1
2
[C]
[1] The first wolf Finn collared was Sage, a big gray
wolf so strong he has crossed the Continental Divide twice
in the dead of winter. [2] One winter afternoon, on a
routine flight to check on her wolves, Finn spotted Sage in
9.
a hunter’s trap. [3] She knew that if the hunter didn’t kill
him, freezing or starvation soon would. [4] If Sage died,
Finn’s research on this animal would end unhappily after
10.
only four years, it was after landing, Finn and a
9
fellow, biologist drove fifty miles in a four- wheel-drive
10
pickup. [5] They then traveled through deep snow
on snowmobiles in order to reach Sage.
12.
him, and wrapped him in a sleeping bag. [2] The sky was
dark by the time the two biologists had began working.
12
13
A few days later, Finn noticed Sage and five of his
pup’s playful wrestling on the side of a mountain. Sage’s
a)
b)
c)
d)
before Sentence 1.
after Sentence 1.
after Sentence 2.
after sentence 5.
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
have begun
begun
began
Paragraph D most logical?
daylight, they fitted the recovered wolf with a new radio
[E]
NO CHANGE
fellow biologist, drove fifty miles
fellow biologist drove fifty miles
fellow biologist, drove fifty miles
13. Which of the following sequences of sentences will make
circulation to Sage’s frozen right foot. [4] Just before
collar and set him free.
a)
b)
c)
d)
Sage’s name to Paragraph C: “Finn named the wolf for
his air of wisdom and experience.” That sentence would
most logically be placed:
[D]
[3] They used the warmth of their bare hands to restore
NO CHANGE
years so then after
years. After
years, after
11. The writer wants to add the following explanation of
11
[1] They approached the half-frozen wolf, sedated
a)
b)
c)
d)
14.
a)
b)
c)
d)
1,
1,
2,
2,
2,
4,
1,
3,
4,
3,
3,
1,
3
2
4
4
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
pup’s playfully wrestling
pups’ wrestling playfully
pups wrestling playfully
14
rescue had been a success after all!
15
15. The writer wants to link the essay’s opening and
concluding sentences. Which of the alternatives most
successfully achieves this effect:
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
success even so.
success, which was predictable.
success, and Tessa of the Wolves had earned her
nickname once again.
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
act english—passage 1
1. A. We cannot connect two independent clauses* with just a comma. In case you liked (b),
why would we put a comma between an adjective and the noun the adjective modifies?
That would be like saying, “The red, car drove down the dark, street.”
2. B. When in doubt, choose the simplest choice. Also, the verb “being” is overused in
America, so if you’re between two choices and one of them features “being” as a verb,
pick the other one.
3. D. If you chose (a), note that the adjective applies to three nouns, “water,” “electricity,”
and “phone.” I can barely imagine having little running water and little electricity, but little
phone?
4. A. “Past,” believe it or not, is one of those preposition answers to, “What can a bee do?” (“A
bee can fly over a flower, under a flower, past a flower …”). “Passed” is a verb.
5. A. About once every passage, you’ll be asked to notice redundancy. Weren’t we told
back in the first paragraph that the cabin is her base? Don’t tell the same story twice, and
don’t let an ACT passage do so, either.
6. D. As we discussed in the preview to this section, when you need to make a decision
regarding punctuation, always “read in” the simplest (i.e., least punctuated) answer choice
and then ask yourself, “Do I need punctuation? If so, where?”
7. A. Please make sure that you find the antecedent for every pronoun. Here, it’s “a wolf,”
which is singular. If you chose (c), note that the pronoun “its” has no apostrophe, but the
contraction for “it is,” which is “it’s,” does.
8. B. Questions that ask, “Which of the alternatives …” are about content, not grammar. So,
you must slowly read the question. Here, we’re asked to pick an alternative that provides
“new, specific details about the equipment.” Only (b) is both new and specific.
9. C. If our job whenever we write is to inform the reader and ease any difficulties she may
have, we must learn to separate ideas and actions into their own sentences. The sentence
that ends with “years” is about the possible consequences if Sage were to die. The
sentence that starts with “After” tells us what actions Finn and her colleague took to save
the wolf.
10. C. As we saw back in problem 6, any problem that requires you to make punctuation
decisions will be solved most easily by reading the simplest choice into the sentence.
Furthermore, if you ever need to guess in such a “punctuation choice” problem (perhaps
you’re running out of time), you should guess the least punctuated choice, which will be
right more than half the time! Here, that choice is (c). Why would we separate the subject
(Finn and a fellow biologist) from the verb (drove) with a comma?
11. B. If the writer chooses to do so, she should explain Sage’s name immediately, before it
interferes with the story about how Tessa Finn rescued him. Remember, in English we put
modifiers (or explanations) as close as possible to the words they are intended to modify (or
explain).
12. D. “The sky was dark” is past tense, as is the entire previous sentence. Is there any reason to
think that we need any other tense?
*
An independent clause is one that could, if need be, stand alone as a sentence.
act english—passage 1
answers and explanations
2
13. C. Sentence 1 details some of the “work” the biologists did with Sage, so it logically should
follow sentence 2, which sets the scene before they began their work. The rest of the
paragraph flows naturally.
14. D. This one can be pretty easy if you’re not under the impression that we make a noun
plural by adding “apostrophe s” to it. Do we drive car’s or eat ice cream cone’s?
15. D. Here, you’re asked to refer back to the opening sentence. Which choice “closes the
circle” of the story (that is, clearly refers back to the author’s description of “Tessa of the
Wolves”)?
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act english—passage 2
World Trade: Lost in Translation?
1.
As American businesses explore overseas
markets. They learn firsthand how language differences
1
2
can stand in the way of trade. After experiencing a period
2.
of slow gasoline sales in a new foreign market, an
American oil company learned that its name in the foreign
nation’s language means “stalled car.” A major American
car manufacturer, you see, found out that the name of one
3.
3
of its models being converted into hard cash in South
4
America is a Spanish word meaning “ugly old woman.”
Blunders like these illustrate that an important step in
4.
breaking down barriers to international trade is to break
down language barriers.
5.
The many countries of Western Europe have always
faced this problem. Overcoming it is one of the tasks of
6.
the European Economic Community or Common Market
5
an organization founded at its start to promote trade
6
among nations in that part of the world. But it’s a difficult
task. When one of the European Economic Community’s
(EEC’s) twelve official languages are used at a meeting,
7
translation must be available to the other delegates.
8
Finding translators for English, French, and German is
relatively easy. But finding them for languages like
Danish, Portuguese, and especially, Greek has proven more
difficult.
7.
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
markets, they
markets; they
markets and
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
differences, which
differences that
differences of which
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
manufacturer, as proof,
manufacturer
manufacturer, consequently,
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
sold over the counter
traded for the local currency
offered for sale
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
Community, or Common Market;
Community, or Common Market,
Community or, Common Market
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
which was begun and founded
that it organized
formed
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
is used
are being used
are in use
8. At this point, the writer is considering the addition of
the following sentence: “Brussels, the home of EEC
headquarters, is the lively and modern capital of
Belgium.” Would this be a logical and relevant
addition to the essay?
a) Yes, because it serves to establish the setting for
the essay.
b) Yes, because it helps to legitimize the EEC by
mentioning its main headquarters
c) No, because the official languages of Belgium
aren’t mentioned as “problem” languages.
d) No, because it sheds no new light on the problem
of language barriers in the EEC.
act english—passage 2
2
9.
In fact, when it was almost two decades ago
9
10
becoming clear that Greece would join the Common
Market, officials began to look for translators three years
in advance. The results of their search were disappointing
10.
11
to this day, it is almost impossible for them to find
translators who can turn Greek into, say, Danish.
12
11.
12.
13.
Then, a standing joke among language officials at
13
EEC headquarters begins
14.
with the interrogation of someone by asking the question,
14
“What is a Great Dane?” With a rueful smile, someone is
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
(Do NOT begin a new paragraph) Furthermore,
(Do NOT begin a new paragraph) In fact,
(Begin a new paragraph) Furthermore,
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
(Place after clear)
(Place after join)
(Place after began)
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
disappointing, and
disappointing and
so disappointing
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
into say,
into, say
into,
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
A
For instance, a
Eventually, a
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
by asking someone to answer the
by commencing with the introductory
with the
a)
b)
c)
d)
NO CHANGE
despair, was
despair is
despair, would be
likely to respond, “Any Dane who knows how to speak
Greek?” All that’s needed to turn that smile into a look of
despair, is a reminder that Turkey, whose language is not
15
widely studied in Western Europe, may someday become a
member of the Common Market.
15.
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
act english—passage 2
1. B. Since this sentence begins with a dependent clause, we can to connect it to the
independent clause with a comma.
2. A. As we will see several times in this passage, when in doubt you should choose the shortest
and/or simplest answer choice. A good question to ask yourself here (as in all instances
when you’d like to identify the subject of a clause) is, “What can stand in the way of trade?”
The answer here is “language differences,”
3. C. Again, as in problem 2, we tend to get a high percentage of questions right when we
lean toward the shortest/simplest answer choice. Using either “you see” or “as proof” would
identify the sentence as primary evidence, when it’s actually just another piece of evidence
in support of the author’s point. Using “consequently” would suggest that what’s coming in
this sentence is a consequence of what happened in the previous sentence.
4. D. Let’s pledge to always “go simple,” trusting that there aren’t deeper ways to
communicate that we just don’t know about. If you chose anything but (d) here, review
your choice. Doesn’t it seem like a bad translation (the subject of this essay)?
5. C. Here’s the rule about setting off something “unnecessary” with commas: Put commas
immediately before and after the “unnecessary” words. Think of those commas as indicators
of where an editor could “cut” the sentence. Here, by putting commas after “Community”
and “Market,” we tell any future editor that s/he can shorten the sentence to read: “… one
of the tasks of the European Economic Community, an organization …”
6. D. It’s clear that if a non-English speaker who knew only that short answers were right more
often than they should be took this test, s/he might score better than some native English
speakers who answer on the basis that “complex is good.”
7. B. This problem can be tough if you don’t routinely identify and bracket prepositional
phrases, which are descriptive but never necessary to the structure of any sentence. Here,
we need to bracket a long prepositional phrase “of [preposition] the European Economic
Community’s (EEC’s) twelve official languages” to leave “When one [prepositional phrase]
is/are used …”
8. D. The suggested additional sentence is the sort of “filler” that informs the reader that the
writer is just trying to fill the required number of pages. Focus on the topic at hand.
9. C. This sentence provides evidence that supports the point the author made right at the end
of the “previous” paragraph, so starting a new paragraph could confuse the reader—and
we never want to do that. “Furthermore” indicates that we’re about to make another
argument or provide new evidence. Neither is true.
10. B. It’s important to get our time sequences straight. What happened almost two decades
ago? The sentence makes clear that “officials began to look for translators three years in
advance,” so the time in question was at least three years before Greece joined. It must be
the realization that came two decades ago, right?
11. B. Here, we have two independent clauses (the first ends with “disappointing”; the second
begins with “to this day,”) that we need to punctuate. On standardized tests, there are
usually two “best” ways to do so: using a semicolon or a comma/conjunction combination.
Here, the semicolon isn’t offered as an option.
12. A. Please review the explanation for problem 5. As we discussed at that time, we can use
commas to set off a part of a sentence that is descriptive but not necessary to the
act english—passage 2
answers and explanations
2
sentence’s structure. Here, if we eliminate “say” from this sentence, we’ll lose some of the
nuance but the sentence structure won’t suffer. So, in order to show an editor where to
“cut” the sentence if necessary, we put the commas right before and right after “say.”
13. B. It’s pretty tiresome how often the shortest and/or simplest answer choice turns out to be
right. Getting the pattern?
14. D. See the explanation to question 13. Short. Simple. Right. More often than you would
think.
15. C. To answer a “commas” question, begin by reading in the least-punctuated choice. Then
ask yourself, “OK, do I need commas and, if so, where should I put them?” Most often, you’ll
conclude, “No commas are necessary here.”
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
assorted geometry
Efforts have been made to draw the following to scale, but please do not assume that is the
case. However, on the ACT any unlabeled drawing IS drawn to scale.
10 feet
1)
5 ft.
5 ft.
The parallel sides of the isosceles
trapezoid shown to the left are 10 feet
long and 16 feet long, respectively.
What is the distance, in feet, between
these 2 sides?
16 feet
a) 3
c) 5
b) 4
d) 10
Evan cuts a board in the shape of a
regular hexagon and pounds a nail at
an equal distance from each vertex, as
shown in the figure to the left. How
many rubber bands will he need in
order to stretch a different rubber band
across every possible pair of nails?
2)
3)
e) 16
a) 15
c) 12
b) 14
d) 9
e) 6
The edges of a cube are each 3 inches long. What is the surface area, in square inches,
of this cube?
a) 9
c) 27
b) 18
d) 36
e) 54
PLEASE READ THE ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS FOR PROBLEMS 1 THROUGH 3 NOW
assorted geometry
2
In the 8-sided figure to the left, adjacent sides
meet at right angles and the lengths given are
in meters. What is the perimeter of the figure,
in meters?
4
4)
6
10
5)
a) 10
c) 30
b) 20
d) 40
e) 100
In the standard (x,y) coordinate plane, the midpoint of line AB is (4, -3) and A is located at
(1, -5). If (x,y) are the coordinates of B, what is the value of x + y?
a) 19
c) 6
b) 8
d) –1.5
6)
e) –3
The formula for the surface area (S) of a
rectangular solid (shown below) is S = 2lw + 2lh
+ 2wh, where l represents the length, w the
width, and h the height of the solid. Doubling
each of the dimensions (l, w, and h) will
increase the surface area to how many times
its original size?
h
w
l
4/7/08
a) 2
c) 6
b) 4
d) 8
e) 24
assorted geometry
3
Use the following information to answer questions 7-9.
The community center has installed a swimming pool on level ground. The pool is a
right circular cylinder with a diameter of 24 feet and a height of 6 feet. A diagram of
the pool and its entry ladder is shown below.
ladder
6 feet
70
o
24 feet
7)
To the nearest cubic foot, what is the volume of water that will be in the pool when it is
filled with water to a depth of 5 feet?
a) 942
c) 2,262
b) 1,885
d) 9,047
45
A plastic cover is made for the pool.
The cover will rest on top of the pool
and will include a wedge-shaped flap
that forms a 45° angle at the center of
the cover, as shown in the figure
below. A zipper will go along 1 side of
the wedge-shaped flap and around
the arc. Which of the following is
closest to the length, in feet, of the
zipper?
o
8)
9)
a) 17
c) 24
b) 22
d) 29
e) 57
The directions for assembling the pool state that the ladder should be placed at an angle
of 70° relative to level ground. Which of the following expressions involving tangent gives
the distance, in feet, that the bottom of the ladder should be placed away from the
bottom edge of the pool in order to comply with the directions?
a)
b)
6
tan70°
tan70°
6
4/7/08
e) 11,310
c)
1
6 tan70°
d) 6 tan70°
e)
tan(6
x 70°)
assorted geometry
4
X
z
y
10)
Y
x
Z
4/7/08
a) 2(y + z) + x
c) 2 (x + y)
b) 2(x + y + z)
d) 2 (x + z)
The triangle, ▲ XYZ, that is shown
to the left has side lengths of x, y,
and z inches and is not a right
triangle. Let X’ be the image of
X when the triangle is reflected
across side YZ. Which of the
following is an expression for the
perimeter, in inches, of
quadrilateral X’YXZ?
e) 2(y + z)
TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
assorted geometry
1)
B. Always look for ways to draw on geometry diagrams. Here, if we draw lines straight
down from the ends of the top base, we find that each right triangle formed at the left
and right has a base of 3. So, if the base is 3 and the hypotenuse is 5, then 52 = 32 + h2,
which means that h = 4.
2)
A. A student once asked, “Isn’t there a formula for that?” Yes, there’s a formula for
everything (within reason), but to do well on standardized tests you have to be willing to
get stuff right the most basic way you can. Here, if you label the nails, you’ll find that you
can stretch a rubber band from nail A to five other nails; from nail B to four other nails
(because you already stretched a rubber band from A to B, right?); from nail C to three
other nails; from nail D to two; and from nail E to one. Formula? Who cares?
3)
E. Surface area of a cube is six times (think of dice) the area of one side. So, if the area of
each side is 9, then six times that is ...
PLEASE RETURN AND FINISH PROBLEMS 4 THROUGH 10
4)
D. Imagine that your town’s streets are laid out in a grid; every street goes either
north/south or east/west. Got that? Now, imagine that you’re going to walk from the
southwest end of town to the northeast. You can walk north, then east. You can also walk
east, then north. You can “cut across” by walking one block east, the next north, the next
east, etc. Every route is the same length! So, how does that help us in this sort of problem?
Note that the three horizontal “shelves” (one at the right, one at the top, and the other at
the left) must add up to 10. As for the height, the “6” and “4” on the left tell the story;
however, can we assume that the vertical lines on the right add up to 10? If they didn’t,
wouldn’t the top base be at a slant? It would.
5)
C. Since the midpoint’s x-value is 3 away from the endpoint’s x-value, the other endpoint
must be 3 away in the other direction. Similarly, if the midpoint’s y-value is 2 away from
one endpoint’s y-value, then the other endpoint must be 2 away in the other direction. If
you’re still not sure, try drawing it ... which would have been a good idea in the first place.
6)
B. This is a great problem to pick numbers for the sides. I made the length 2, the width 3,
and the height 5. So, the original block has a surface area of 62 (use the formula given in
the problem). When we double the length of each dimension (side), we end up with
length 4, width 6, and height 10, or a surface area of 248. Alternatively, you could have
considered that surface area, which at first looks like a three-dimensional measurement, is
actually an adding-up of two-dimensional measurements. So, doubling each dimension
would end up multiplying each side by 4, and so multiply the surface area measurement
by 4.
Problems like 7-9 that all are based on the same information can be pretty manageable as
long as you spend sufficient time so that you have some understanding of the common
information. Did you fly past the first explanatory paragraph?
assorted geometry
answers and explanations
2
7)
C. Volume of a cylinder is πr2h, where πr2 is the area of the circular base and h is the given
height. We are told that the radius is 12 (diameter of 24), so π(12)2 is the base, and since
the pool will be filled to 5 feet, we will multiply that product by 5.
8)
B. So, the zipper will define the radius (12) and a portion of the circumference. Which
portion? The angle tells the story. Since 45° is one-eighth of 360°, one-eighth of the
circumference (which is 24π, right?) will be zipped. So, 3π = a little less than 10. Add that
to 12 and you get ...
9)
A. We know that the pool is 6 feet high (did you put 6 into the original diagram to define
the height of the triangle formed by the ladder?). We want to find the base of that
triangle. We know that tangent is defined as opposite/adjacent, so here tan70° = 6/adj.
Since we’re solving for adjacent, let’s flip both sides right now, and then multiply both sides
by 6.
X
z
y
10)
Y
x
y
Z
X'
4/7/08
E. Did you draw it? When we
reflect (flip) the triangle over the
x side, we get the quadrilateral
pictured to the left. So, the
perimeter consists of two “z”
sides and two “y” sides, right?
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
do the next right thing
I cannot overstress how important it is to understand the problem before you begin working on
it. So, please plan to read each problem twice—the first time for the story, the second time for
the numbers. I know that you think doing so will slow you down, but I predict that it will actually
speed you up, since you won’t get confused as often.
1)
2)
3)
For a project in Home Economics class, LuAnn is making a tablecloth for a circular table
with a radius of 1.5 feet. The finished tablecloth needs to hang down 5 inches over the
edge of the table all the way around. To finish the edge of the tablecloth, LuAnn will fold
under and sew down 1 inch of the material all around the edge. LuAnn is going to use a
single piece of rectangular fabric that is 60 inches wide. What is the shortest length of
fabric, in inches, LuAnn could use to make the tablecloth without putting any separate
pieces of fabric together?
a) 15
c) 30
b) 24
d) 42
e) 48
In teaching a lesson on the concept of thirds, Ms. Fotias uses a divide-and-set-aside
procedure. She starts with a certain number of colored disks, divides them into 3 equal
groups, and sets 2 groups aside, keeping 1 group, to illustrate the concept of 1/3. She
repeats the procedure by taking the disks she had NOT set aside, dividing them into 3
equal groups, and setting 2 of these groups aside. If Ms. Fotias wants to be able to
complete the divide-and-set-aside procedure at least 4 times (without breaking any of the
disks into pieces), which of the following is the minimum number of colored disks she can
start with?
a) 12
c) 27
b) 15
d) 54
e) 81
On the first day of school, Mr. Alessandrini gave his third-grade students 5 new words to
spell. On each day of school after that, he gave the students 3 new words to spell. In the
first 20 days of school, how many new words had he given the students to spell?
a) 28
c) 65
b) 62
d) 68
e) 152
PLEASE READ THE ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS FOR PROBLEMS 1 THROUGH 3 NOW
do the next right thing
2
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
To determine a student’s overall test score for the semester, Ms. Herold throws out the
lowest and highest test scores and takes the average of the remaining test scores.
Mitchell earned the following test scores in Ms. Herold’s class this semester: 62, 78, 83, 84,
93, and 94. What overall test score did Mitchell earn in Ms. Herold’s class this semester?
a) 67.6
c) 83.0
b) 80.0
d) 83.5
TimeBerner Cable, a cable TV provider, charges each customer $120 for installation, plus
$25 per month for cable programming. TimeBerner’s competitor, DumCast, charges each
customer $60 for installation, plus $35 per month for cable programming. A customer who
signs up with TimeBerner will pay the same total amount for cable TV as a customer who
signs up with DumCast if each pays for installation and cable programming for how many
months?
a) 3
c) 10
b) 6
d) 18
e) 30
Toya went into Crazy Richie’s Music to price CDs. All CDs were discounted 22% off the
marked price. Toya wanted to program her calculator so she could input the marked
price and the discounted price would be the output. Which of the following is an
expression for the discounted price on a marked price of d dollars?
a) d – 0.22d
c) d – 22d
b) d – 0.22
d) d – 22
e) 0.22d
When the chorus is arranged in rows of 4 people each, the last row is one person short.
When it is arranged in rows of 5, the last row is still one person short. When arranged in
rows of 6, the last row is still one person short. What is the least possible number of people
in the chorus?
a) 11
c) 59
b) 14
d) 69
e) 119
A salesperson earns (6h + 0.05t) dollars, where h is the number of hours worked, and t is the
total amount of her sales. What does she earn for working 10 hours with $230.80 in sales?
a) $71.54
c) $175.40
b) $74.54
d) $251.80
e) $290.80
Doctors use the term maximum heart rate (MHR) when referring to the quantity found by
starting with 220 beats per minute and subtracting 1 beat per minute for each year of a
person’s age. Doctors recommend exercising 3 or 4 times each week for at least 20
minutes with your heart rate increased from its resting heart rate (RHR) to its training heart
rate (THR), where
THR = RHR + .65(MHR – RHR)
4/7/08
e) 84.5
do the next right thing
3
Which of the following is closest to the THR of a 43-year-old person whose RHR is 54 beats
per minute?
10)
a) 197
c) 162
b) 169
d) 134
e) 80
In decorating baskets for a sales convention, Roni needs the following amounts of ribbon
for each basket:
number of ribbons
length (inches)
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2
8
16
10
If the ribbon costs $0.98 per yard, which of the following would be the approximate cost of
ribbon for 20 baskets? (Note: 1 yard = 36 inches)
4/7/08
a) $6
c) $60
b) $18
d) $70
e) $180
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
do the next right thing
1)
E. Did you begin by drawing the table? That would be the first Right Thing. So, if you
didn’t, please do so now. Next, any time you are told any measure of a circle you can
expect you’ll have to convert it into another measure. We’re given radius here when we
actually need diameter, which is 3 feet. So far the tablecloth needs to be 3 feet wide.
Oh, but it has to hang over 5 inches on all sides, which extends the diameter by 10 inches,
right? Also, since she will sew down 1 inch all around the edge, we can add two more
inches to the diameter. How about that? When we add it all up, it comes to 4 feet, or 48
inches.
2)
E. If you didn’t read this twice, I doubt you understood it. So, Ms. Fotias is dividing into
three equal groups, keeping one and setting the other two aside, then repeating. Four
times. Well, if we were intuitive we could see that she’d need 34 disks. However, I’m not
very intuitive, so I used the answer choices. Let’s start with (c): If she starts with 27, there
are 3 groups of 9. So, setting aside two of those groups, she’s left with 9. Then there are 3
groups of 3; setting aside 2 groups leaves 3 disks, which means that she can break the disks
into 3 groups and set aside 2/3 of the disks a third time but not a fourth. So, we must need
to start with a bigger number.
3)
B. Not such a tough problem if you don’t add 60 to 5 (c). Why shouldn’t we do so?
Because after the first day, on which he gave the students 5 words to spell, weren’t there
only 19 days left—not 20?
PLEASE RETURN AND FINISH PROBLEMS 4 THROUGH 10
4)
E. We follow directions and throw out the 62 and the 94. Then we take the average,
which is 338/4, or 84.5.
5)
B. We set it up as: $120 + $25x = $60 + $35x, where x is the number of months. When we
subtract $60 from each side, we get $60 + $25x = $35x. Now, we subtract $25x from both
sides, giving us $60 = $10x, so x = 6.
6)
A. It must be a discount, which eliminates (e). Next, choice (c) would give us a negative
number (-21d). Choices (b) and (d) would subtract a number that apparently has nothing
to do with our variable of d, right? That leaves (a), which would be 100% of d (which is d),
minus 22% of d (which is 0.22d).
7)
C. Let’s translate: The number we’re looking for is 1 less than a multiple of 4, 1 less than a
multiple of 5, and 1 less than a multiple of 6. So, if we were to calculate the number that’s
the least common multiple of 4, 5, and 6, and then subtract 1, we’d probably have our
best candidate. Or we can use the answer choices: 11 is 1 less than a multiple of 4 and 6,
but not of 5; 14 is 1 less than a multiple of 5, but not 4 and 6; 59 is 1 less than a multiple of 4,
5, and 6 (yes!). Note that if you picked (e), you multiplied 4 times 5 times 6, not noting that
4 and 6 share a factor of 2 (which is why 12—not 24—is their least common multiple).
do the next right thing
answers and explanations
2
8)
A. Sometimes these problems can be pretty simple if you understand what you’re being
asked. Here, there are two formulae, one each for hours (6h) and for sales (0.05t). So, we
plug hours in for h and sales in for t, and the calculator gives us the answer.
9)
D. There is a lot here to take in, so if you try to do so quickly, good luck. In general,
problems like this that initially look deeply difficult don’t turn out to be so because the test
makers actually tell us how to solve. First, to get the MHR we subtract 1 beat per year the
subject’s age of 43 years, giving us 220 – 43 = 177. Then, we plug in the values we’re given
(RHR is 54) to get THR = 54 + 0.65(177-54) = 54 + 0.65(123) = 133.95.
10)
C. Again, a lot of words, but if you read slowly, you find that if you get the total ribbon
length for each basket (5 x 8) + (3 x 16) + (2 x 10) = 108 inches, divide that by 36 (inches in
a yard) to get 3 yards per basket (or approximately $3 per basket), you can then multiply
by 20!
4/7/08
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act reading— humanities 1
HUMANITIES: This passage is adapted from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life (©1989 by Annie Dillard).
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When you write, you lay out a line of words.
The line of words is a miner’s pick, a woodcarver’s
gouge, a surgeon’s probe. You wield it, and it digs
a path you follow. Soon you find yourself deep in
new territory. Is it a dead end, or have you located
the real subject? You will know tomorrow, or this
time next year.
You make the path boldly and follow it
fearfully. You go where the path leads. At the end
of the path, you find a box canyon. You hammer
out reports, dispatch bulletins.
The writing has changed, in your hands, and in
a twinkling, from an expression of your notions to
an epistemological tool. The new place interests
you because it is not clear. You attend. In your
humility, you lay down the words carefully,
watching all the angles. Now the earlier writing
looks soft and careless. Process is nothing; erase
your tracks. The path is not the work. I hope your
tracks have grown over; I hope birds ate the
crumbs; I hope you will toss it all and not look
back.
The line of words is a hammer. You hammer
against the walls of your house. You tap the walls,
lightly, everywhere. After giving many years’
attention to these things, you know what to listen
for. Some of the walls are bearing walls; they have
to stay, or everything will fall down. Other walls
can go with impunity; you can hear the difference.
Unfortunately, it is often the bearing wall that has
to go. It cannot be helped. There is only one
solution, which appalls you, but there it is. Knock
it out. Duck.
Courage utterly opposes the bold hope that
this is such fine stuff the work needs it, or the
world. Courage, exhausted, stands on bare reality:
this writing weakens the work. You must demolish
the work and start over. You can save some of the
sentences, like bricks. It will be a miracle if you
can save some of the paragraphs, no matter how
excellent in themselves or hard-won. You can
waste a year worrying about it, or you can get it
over with now. (Are you a woman, or a mouse?)
The part you must jettison is not only the bestwritten part; it is also, oddly, that part which was
to have been the very point. It is the original key
passage, the passage on which the rest was to
hang, and from which you yourself drew the
courage to begin.
Putting a book together is interesting and
exhilarating. It is sufficiently difficult and complex
that it engages all your intelligence. It is life at its
most free. Your freedom as a writer is not
freedom of expression in the sense of wild blurt-
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ing; you may not let it rip. It is life at its most
free, if you are fortunate enough to be able to try
it, because you select your materials, invent your
task, and pace yourself.
The obverse of this freedom, of course, is that
your work is so meaningless, so fully for yourself
alone, and so worthless to the world, that no one
except you cares whether you do it well, or ever.
You are free to make several thousand close
judgment calls a day. Your freedom is a byproduct of your days’ triviality.
Here is a fairly sober version of what happens
in the small room between the writer and the
work itself. It is similar to what happens between
a painter and a canvas.
First you shape the vision of what the
projected work of art will be. The vision, I stress,
is no marvelous thing: it is the work’s intellectual
structure and aesthetic surface. It is a chip of
mind, a pleasing intellectual object. It is a vision
of the work, not of the world. It is a glowing
thing, a blurred thing of beauty. Its structure is at
once luminous and translucent; you can see the
world through it.
Many aspects of the work are still uncertain,
of course; you know that. You know that if you
proceed you will change things and learn things,
that the form will grow under your hands and
develop new and richer lights. But that change
will not alter the vision or its deep structures; it
will only enrich it. You know that, and you are
right.
But you are wrong if you think that in the
actual writing, or in the actual painting, you are
filling in the vision. You cannot fill in the vision.
You cannot even bring the vision to light. You
are wrong if you think you can in any way take
the vision and tame it to the page. The page is
jealous and tyrannical; the page is made of time
and matter; the page always wins. The vision is
not so much destroyed, exactly, as it is, by the
time you have finished, forgotten.
act reading—humanities 1
2
1. As it is used in line 52, the word engages most
nearly means:
a. demands
b. defeats
c. envisions
d. ensures
2. The author compares the interaction between
writers and their work to that in all of the
following occupations EXCEPT:
a. surgeon.
b. miner.
c. painter.
d. musician.
3. The author suggests that the best-written part of
a piece of writing is often, ironically, the part of
a piece of writing that the writer:
a. finds most painful.
b. must throw away.
c. feels is most dramatic.
d. produced in a wild burst.
4. Which of the following best states the main
point of the passage?
a. Writers need to be aggressive and
intellectual.
b. The path is really the same thing as the
work.
c. Writing is a humbling and transforming
experience.
d. In writing, it is crucial that you consider
your audience.
5. The main emphasis of the third paragraph (lines
12-23) regarding the nature of the act of writing
is on:
a. why writers need to learn humility.
b. keeping the line of words from being
altered.
c. how a writer’s perception of her work
changes.
d. how writing expresses notions of the self.
3/12/08
6. As it is used in lines 10-11, the phrase hammer out
most nearly means:
a. break
b. write
c. erase
d. remove
7. An analogy made in the passage is that sentences
are to writing as:
a. courage is to bare reality.
b. bearing walls are to vision.
c. bricks are to building.
d. painting is to freedom.
8. The author claims that putting a book together
is life at its most free because:
a. you select your own materials, task, and
pace.
b. you can fully express your inner self.
c. nothing is more intellectually demanding.
d. you create something valued by the entire
world.
9. The author of the passage describes the vision
as:
I. a chip of mind
II. the by-product of your day’s triviality
III. a glowing thing
a. II only
b. III only
c. I and II only
d. I and III only
10. The author asserts that it will be a miracle if,
during the course of revision, the writer is able
to salvage:
a. some of the bricks.
b. any of the words.
c. some of the paragraphs.
d. all of the path.
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
act reading— humanities 1
First, this: Please note how many of the “Author’s Choice” answers below can be found
verbatim in the passage. Get used to the idea that you will never be asked to make a
major inference, so if your preferred answer choice ever needs to be preceded by
“therefore,” it’s wrong.
1. A. Did you cross out engages in line 52? Did you also cross it out in the question, and
then plug in the words in the clues, one by one, until one worked? This is a very silly
technique that has one advantage: It works.
2. D. Here, we have to find three references. Luckily, two of them (“surgeon” and
“miner”) can be found in lines 2-3; the other, “painter,” is found in lines 68-69.
3. B. As the author states in lines 44-47, “The part you must jettison is not only the bestwritten part; it is also, oddly, that part which was to have been the very point. It is the
original key passage, ...” If you chose (a), it’s the throwing away that’s painful, not
the writing itself.
4. C. This is a model ACT “big picture” correct answer choice. It states that the writer is
a reasonable human being sharing a real experience with us, rather than a dimestore philosopher (choice (b)) or an arguing hack (the other choices).
5. C. As the author states in line 12, “The writing has changed ...” You never know
whether you’re looking at an “easy” or a “hard” ACT reading question; what you do
know, however, is that there’s only one right answer. So, if you decided to pick (a),
consider this: While the author feels that a writer must be humble, does she ever spell
out why writers (plural) need to learn humility? ACT language is precise, which is
good for you.
6. B. Did you cross out hammer out in lines 10-11? Did you also cross it out in the
question, and then plug in the words in the clues, one by one, until one worked?
How does one create “reports”? Note that your choice must work with the next verb,
“dispatch,” since the author says that a writer does both.
7. C. In lines 38-39, the author states: “You can save some of the sentences, like bricks
...” Note how much of what you’re asked to do is report what the author has said
explicitly.
8. A. In lines 57-58, she states: “... you select your materials, ... and pace yourself.”
9. D. In lines 73-76, the author describes the vision: “It is a chip of mind, a pleasing
intellectual object. It is a vision of the work, not of the world. It is a glowing thing, ...”
She discusses Roman II in lines 64-65; luckily for us who remembered all three, there
was no choice that said, “I, II, and III.”
10. C. In lines 39-41, the author states: “It will be a miracle if you can save some of the
paragraphs.”
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act reading— natural science 1
NATURAL SCIENCE: This passage is adapted from Lana Selfridge and Habib Shakti’s Particles Under Glass
(©1993 by Lana Selfridge and Habib Shakti).
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The detector is a kind of ultimate microscope,
which records what happens when a [subatomic]
particle strikes another particle, either in a fixed
target such as a lump of metal or a chamber filled
with a gas or liquid, or in an oncoming beam in a
collider. The 1950s and 60s were the age of the
bubble chamber, so called because electrically
charged particles moving through it produce trails
of tiny bubbles in the liquid filling the chamber.
[But today most] experiments are based on
electronic detectors.
Detectors rarely record all the particle
collisions that occur in a particular experiment.
Usually collisions occur thousands of times a
second and no equipment can respond quickly
enough to record all the associated data.
Moreover, many of the collisions may reveal
mundane ‘events’ that are relatively well
understood. So the experimenters often define
beforehand the types of event that may reveal the
particles they are trying to find, and program the
detector accordingly. This is what a major part of
the electronics in a detector is all about. The
electronics form a filter system, which decides
within a split second whether a collision has
produced the kind of event that the experimenters
have defined as interesting and which should
therefore be recorded by the computer. Of the
thousands of collisions per second, only one may
actually be recorded. One of the advantages of this
approach is its flexibility: the filter system can
always be reprogrammed to select different types
of event.
Often, computer graphics enable the events to
be displayed on computer monitors as images,
which help the physicists to discover whether their
detector is functioning in the correct way and to
interpret complex or novel events. Imaging has
always played an important role in particle physics.
In earlier days, much of the data was actually
recorded in photographic form—in pictures of
tracks through cloud chambers and bubble
chambers, or even directly in the emulsion of
special photographic film. Many of these images
have a peculiar aesthetic appeal, resembling
abstract art. Even at the subatomic level nature
presents images of itself that reflect our own
imaginings. The essential clue to understanding
the images of particle physics is that they show the
tracks of the particles, not the particles themselves.
What a pion, for instance, really looks like remains
a mystery, but its passage through a substance—
solid, liquid, or gas—can be recorded. Particle
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physicists have become as adept at interpreting
the types of track left by different particles as the
American Indians were at interpreting the tracks
of an enemy.
A number of simple clues immediately
narrows down the possibilities. For instance,
many detectors are based around a magnet. This
is because the tracks of electrically-charged
particles are bent in a magnetic field. A curving
track is the signature of a charged particle. And if
you know the direction of the magnetic field,
then the way that the track curves—to left or
right, say—tells you whether the particle is
positively or negatively charged. The radius of
curvature is also important, and depends on the
particle’s velocity and mass. Electrons, for
instance, which are very lightweight particles, can
curve so much in a magnetic field that their
tracks form tight little spirals.
Most of the subatomic zoo of particles have
brief lives, less than a billionth of a second. But
this is often long enough for the particle to leave
a measurable track. Relatively long-lived particles
leave long tracks, which can pass right through
the detector. Shorter-lived particles, on the other
hand, usually decay visibly, giving birth to two or
more new particles. These decays are often easily
identified in images: a single track turns into
several tracks. Neutral particles present more of a
headache to experimenters. Particles without an
electric charge leave no tracks in a detector, so
their presence can be deduced only from their
interactions or their decay products. If you see
two tracks starting at a common point, apparently
arising from nowhere, you can be almost certain
that this is where a neutral particle has decayed
into two charged particles.
Our perception of nature has deepened not
only because the accelerators have increased in
power, but also because the detection techniques
have grown more sophisticated. The quality of
particle imagery and the range of information it
provides have both improved over the years.
act reading—natural science 1
2
1. The main idea of the passage is that:
a. most particle collisions are “mundane”
events.
b. bubble chambers were constructed to
capture high-energy particles.
c. the technology for detecting particle images
is improving.
d. the detection of particle images has direct
application to the study of nuclear energy.
2. The passage states that magnets affect atomic
particles by:
a. influencing the direction particles travel.
b. turning particles into negatively charged
electrons.
c. increasing the life of particles.
d. causing positive and negative particles to
collide.
3. The passage states that which of the following
particles leaves a long track?
a. A positively charged particle
b. A negatively charged particle
c. A short-lived particle
d. A long-lived particle
4. As it is used in line 51, the word pion precisely
refers to:
a. an image.
b. a track.
c. a particle.
d. a molecule.
5. According to the passage, which of the
following CANNOT be tracked electronically by
experimenters?
a. Electrically charged particles
b. Pion particles
c. Negatively charged particles
d. Neutral particles
6. Which of the following statements would the
authors most likely agree with?
a. Most tracking of electrically charged
particles is difficult and inaccurate.
b. Tracking of electrically charged particles is
still primitive because of unclear
photographs.
c. Short-lived particles are easier to track than
long-lived particles.
3/12/08
d.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Electrically charged particles can be tracked
with the right equipment and careful
observation.
What, according to the passage, is one effect of
charged particles passing through a bubble
chamber?
a. Collisions of the particles as they are
stopped by the bubbles
b. Computer images that can be greatly
enhanced
c. Photographs of the actual particles
d. Patterns of tiny bubbles in the liquid filling
the chamber
The passage suggests that the greatest difference
between experiments done with a bubble
chamber and those done with electronic
detectors is that:
a. bubble chambers are much better at
tracking the particles.
b. electronic detectors can track pions.
c. electronic detectors are more selective of
the particle events.
d. electronic detectors can photograph the
particles themselves.
How does the analogy likening the detector to
the microscope function in the passage?
a. It suggests that the detector, like the
microscope, reveals to scientists a part of
reality not easily seen.
b. It presents the differences and similarities
in the way a detector works compared to a
microscope.
c. It proves that all instruments are ultimately
the same in the way that they function in a
laboratory.
d. It introduces the argument in the passage
that all detectors, whether microscope,
bubble chamber, or collider, present images
that resemble abstract art.
What is the main idea of the second paragraph
(lines 12-33)?
a. Even the best detectors still miss most of
the important collisions in an experiment.
b. New technology allows scientists to select
the collisions they want to record.
c. Despite the new technology, detectors still
record mostly mundane events.
d. Scientists can now use computers to record
virtually all the collisions in an experiment.
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
act reading— natural science 1
1. C. The main idea of any non-fiction passage will show up at the beginning of the
passage. Here, the Author discusses the detector and the history of how scientists
have tracked particles. According to the author, the technology is improving.
Choice (a) is a detail that shows up later on, and although (d) is probably true, the
author never says so, which means that it can never be right.
2. A. Such particles are positively or negatively charged, so they will respond to a
magnetic field (lines 62-67). If you chose (d), you used your imagination. Don’t.
3. D. As the Author states beginning in line 76, “Relatively long-lived particles leave long
tracks, ...” If you decided to choose (b) because you read about electrons
sometimes spiraling towards the magnet, the Author said nothing about the length of
the electron tracks, only the shape.
4. C. Whenever you use “for instance,” aren’t you about to introduce evidence in
support of a point you just made? ACT authors use “for instance” in the same way.
One of the keys to working on passages is to answer “evidence” questions by
identifying the thesis the evidence supports. Here, that thesis is in the previous line:
“The essential clue to understanding the images of particle physics is that they show
the tracks of the particles, not the particles themselves.”
5. D. The author states beginning in line 82, “Neutral particles ... leave no tracks in a
detector, so ...” If you chose (a) or (c), please note that anytime it appears that two
choices must be right (because they are so similar), neither one is right.
6. D. Here’s where the Author’s Choice really comes in handy: One of the choices
highlights an important point in the passage without overstating anything. If you
chose (a), did the author really say that most current tracking is inaccurate? Similarly,
if you chose (b), did you confuse the “old” technology with the current technology?
7. D. As the Author stated about the bubble chamber in lines 7-9, “so called because
electrically charged particles moving through it produce trails of tiny bubbles in the
liquid filling the chamber.” [emphasis added]
8. C. The Author states in the second paragraph that “This is what a major part of the
electronics in a detector is all about. The electronics form a filter system, which
decides ... whether a collision has produced the kind of event ... which should
therefore be recorded by the computer.” Although the Author uses pions as a “for
instance,” she never does so in order to distinguish between bubble chambers and
particle detectors.
9. A. The answer to this question begins in line 1, “which records what happens when a
[subatomic] particle strikes another particle ...” This is about as close to an actual
inference as you’ll ever be asked to make, and it’s really not much of an stretch,
since both devices let scientists see really small things.
act reading—natural science 1
answers and explanations
2
10. B. This question is a reprise of question 8, where the right answer had to do with how
scientists can use particle detectors to distinguish between interesting and
uninteresting events. If you chose (a), you mistook the Author’s point that scientists
choose not to record most collisions to mean that the detectors missed most of the
important collisions. By the way, if the detector missed the important collisions, how
would anyone know that those collisions even took place? Choice (c) is the
opposite of the Author’s point, and choice (d) is denied by the information at the
beginning of the second paragraph.
3/12/08
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act science— speed and accuracy
The ACT Science section tests how quickly you can work accurately. To
do so you must be able to pay attention to what’s important and ignore
what’s not. Each passage contains a great deal of information that’s
unnecessary to your purposes, so approach each passage with the idea
of determining its broad outline rather than trying to understand the
“what” or the “why” of any details. Here are some overall guidelines:
1. Scan the passage to see how many tables and figures it contains.
The more tables and figures the safer it is to quickly skim any
paragraphs that describe the passage.
2. Note the general nature what each table or figure describes, such
as, “Table 1 shows the charges and weights of various atomic
isotopes.” Then, when you face a question that deals with, say,
isotope weight, you know exactly where to go. Don’t ever read the
“credits” at the bottom of the table or figure.
3. Anything presented as fact must be taken as fact.
4. Do not be afraid of the passages. Although I am a fairly confident
test-taker, I have gone weak in the knees more times than I can
count at my first glance at an ACT science passage. They nearly all
look deep and mysterious at first glance. The good news is:
5. Nearly all of the questions are as easy as can be, and merely ask
you to read a table or a figure and find the corresponding answer.
Think about it: If you’re asked to read seven science passages,
complete with figures and tables, and answer 40 questions in 35
minutes, could those questions actually be difficult? No way,
except:
6. The last question in each set is often much more complex than the
previous questions. So, if you’re pressed for time and the last
question looks like a bad dream, it’s probably time to guess and
move on.
7. Before beginning to answer the questions, scan them to determine
whether any refer to a specific experiment, table, or figure. Circle
or box any relevant numbers (Experiment 2, for instance) so you use
the same research to answer more than one question.
8. Occasionally, a passage will contain no figures or tables. If you’re
going to put one passage off until you’ve finished the rest, this is the
one!
3/3/08
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act science— attention to detail 1
Glaciers deposit till (a poorly sorted sediment). If glaciers repeatedly advance over an area and then
melt back, thick till deposits may form. Figure 1 shows a vertical core taken through layers of till, non-glacial
sediments, and bedrock at a site in North Dakota. The resistivity (an electrical property of a material) and CO
measurements taken along the core are also shown. Resistivity is related to a sediment's particle sizes,
compaction, and mineral composition. Table 1 shows the average percent sand, silt, and clay contents and
descriptions of the various till layers.
2
Figure 1
Table 1
Average percent by volume of:
Depth of
till layer
(m)
larger particle
Description of till
sand
smaller particle
silt
clay
4-9
54.1
31.7
14.2
brown (oxidized*)
9-14
gray A
44.8
36.6
18.6
14-19
yellow (oxidized)
43.5
31.7
24.8
19-24
gray B
37.4
34.3
28.3
24-35
olive green and gray
25.5
34.3
40.2
35-55
gray C
31.7
33.6
34.7
55-85
37.5
31.7
30.8
gray D
*Oxidized sediments have at some time been exposed to the air. Sediments that
have been deprived of oxygen will be gray or green.
Figure 1 and Table 1 adapted from S.B. Ritter, "Pleistocene Stratigraphy of the Moontide Area, North Dakota: An
Update." ©2005 by the Geological Association of The Upper Midwest.
act science—attention to detail 1
2
1.
The average resistivity of the bedrock in the
core is most similar to the average
resistivity of which of the following till
layers?
a. Yellow till
b. Gray till B
c. Olive green and gray till
d. Gray till C
A sample of gray till was recovered from
another core. taken from a nearby area. The
table below shows the results of an analysis
of the sample.
2.
Percent by volume of
sand
silt
clay
31.5
33.7
34.8
3.
3/3/08
Resistivity CO2 content
(ohms)
(mL/g)
85
22
Based on these data and the data provided
in Figure 1 and Table 1, the sample of gray
till corresponds most closely with which till
from Figure 1 ?
a. Gray till A
b. Gray till B
c. Gray till C
d. Gray till D
According to Figure 1, the oldest glacial
advance in this area deposited which of the
following till layers?
a. Gray till A
b. Yellow till
c. Olive green and gray till
d. Gray till D
4.
5.
According to Figure 1, which of the
following statements best describes how
the resistivity of the sand and gravel layer
compares to the resistivity of the till layers?
The resistivity measured in the sand and
gravel layer is:
a. lower than the resistivities measured in
any of the till layers.
b. higher than the resistivities measured
in any of the till layers.
c. the same as the resistivities measured
in the surface sediments.
d. lower than the resistivities measured in
the bedrock.
The sediments being deposited at the
present time at the site where the core was
taken have a much higher CO2 content
than any of the tills. Given this information
and the information in Figure 1, the CO2
content of sediments recently deposited at
the site would most likely be in which of
the following ranges?
a. Less than 10 mL/g
b. Between 10 mL/g and 25 mL/g
c. Between 25 mL/g and 35 mL/g
d. Greater than 35 mL/g
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
act science— attention to detail 1
Please refer to “Speed and Accuracy.” Here, we should skim the opening paragraph—
we really don’t need to know any details at this point. Then, we should note that there is
a figure and a table. That’s it.
When you’ve finished here, note that none of these answer explanations requires that
you consult Table 1. Did you spend any time trying to understand Table 1?
1. C. Both bedrock resistivity and olive green and gray till resistivity is right around 50,
whereas the other three choices have resistivity well above 50.
2. C. We’ve already had to work on resistivity, so why not start there? Gray tills A, B,
and D have resistivity that’s well below 85, whereas gray till C seems to be in that
range. To confirm, let’s check CO2 content—gray till C is a little above 20, which puts
it in the right range again. Note that we don’t need the three columns on the left, so
any time spent trying to make sense of those columns was wasted. Also, please note
that we got all the information we needed from the figure—we didn’t need Table 1
at all.
3. D. Since “bedrock” is on the bottom, the oldest sediments would show up just above
the bedrock (unless you imagine that glaciers burrow underneath surface sediment).
4. B. The sand and gravel layer has a very high resistivity number (near 150), well above
that of any of the other layers.
5. D. Note that gray till A has a CO2 content of approximately 35 mL/g. If the new
sediments have a much higher CO2 content, then that reading must be well above
35 mL/g.
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
act science— attention to detail 2
Motor vehicle exhaust is a significant
source of several air pollutants, including the
nitrogen oxides, NO2 and NO. Scientists
performed two experiments to investigate the
levels and behavior of these pollutants and
naturally occurring gases in the atmosphere
near busy roadways.
Experiment 1
Scientists studied how NO2 levels vary
with vehicle use. They measured NO2 levels
hourly for a 24-hour period, 10 meters (m)
downwind from six roadways. Each roadway
had a combination of a different speed limit
and vehicle usage (approximate number of
vehicles per day). An average NO2 value for
each roadway was calculated in parts per
billion (ppb). The results are in Table 1.
Table 1
Vehicle usage
(vehicles/day)
Average
NO2 level
(ppb)
60
10,000
20,000
30,000
5
9
13
100
10,000
20,000
30,000
8
13
22
Roadway
speed limit
(km/hr)
Experiment 2
Next, the levels of NO2 and NO were measured at
0, 50, and 100 m(eters) downwind from the 100
km/hr roadway that averaged 30,000 vehicles per day.
The level of NO2 decreased from 30 ppb at 0 m to 17
ppb at 100 m. The level of NO decreased from 150 ppb
at 0 m to 42 ppb at 100 m.
(Note: The levels of NO2 and NO that would
be found far from pollution sources are 15 ppb
and 35 ppb, respectively.)
Experiment 3
Ozone (O3) is a naturally occurring gas in the
atmosphere. Levels of ozone, in parts per million
(ppm) were taken at various distances downwind from
the 100 km/hr roadway which averaged 30,000
vehicles per day. The results are in Table 2.
(Note: The naturally occurring ozone
concentration is 0.12 ppm.)
Table 2
2.
1.
Which of the following factors was varied
in Experiment 3 ?
a. Background concentration of NO2
b. Background level of ozone
c. Distance from roadway
d. Speed limit
Distance from
roadway (m)
Ozone level
(ppm)
0
50
100
150
200
0.0075
0.02
0.04
0.075
0.09
According to the experimental results, one
way to reduce levels of NO2 in an area
would be to:
a. reduce the levels of naturally occurring
ozone near roadways.
b. lower speed limits on the roadways.
c. raise speed limits on the roadways.
act science—attention to detail 2
2
d.
3.
4.
5.
6.
4/10/08
require installation of ozone filters in
motor vehicle exhaust systems.
According to the experimental results, if
one compared ozone levels near a major
highway to those in a remote wilderness
location, ozone levels:
a. near the highway would be higher than
at the wilderness location.
b. near the highway would be lower than
at the wilderness location.
c. near the highway would be the same as
those in the wilderness location.
d. would be detectable only near the
highway.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is another
pollutant associated with motor vehicle
exhaust. If carbon monoxide behaves like
the nitrogen oxides in the experiments, one
would expect that carbon monoxide levels:
a. would decrease over time.
b. would stay the same over time.
c. are higher near roadways than farther
away from them.
d. are lower near roadways than farther
away from them.
According to the results of the experiments,
as distance from the roadway increases:
a. NO2 and ozone levels both increase.
b. NO2 levels increase and ozone levels
decrease.
c. NO2 levels increase and ozone levels
stay the same.
d. NO2 levels decrease and ozone levels
increase.
A certain roadway has a speed limit of 100
km/hr and an average vehicle usage of
100,000 vehicles per day. One would
predict that 10 m downwind from this
roadway NO2 levels are:
a. less than 8 ppb.
b. between 8 and 13 ppb.
c. between 13 and 22 ppb.
d. above 22 ppb.
ACT TEN FOR TEN®
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
act science— attention to detail 2
Overall: Here, we should skim the opening paragraph for any definitions then note that
there are three experiments described, two of which are accompanied by tables—we
really don’t need to know any details at this point. That’s it.
1. C. According to the narrative, “Levels of ozone, in parts per million (ppm) were taken
at various distances downwind from the 100 km/hr roadway which averaged 30,000
vehicles per day.” As always, the key to scientific experimentation is to vary one
factor while keeping the other factors constant.
2. B. Science often confirms common sense. Table 1 shows that when vehicles are
traveling more slowly (60 km/hr), the NO2 level is lower for each number of vehicles.
So, if the speed limit were lower still, wouldn’t the trend continue? Science says that
trends will always continue unless there’s some reason for them not to. For example,
a ball thrown upward would keep going up except for the “reason” for it not to:
gravity.
3. B. First, it was news to me that ozone was the “good guy” and, second, that ozone
was replaced by the nitrogen oxides. So, ozone levels are depleted when an area is
close to a roadway. By that logic, ozone levels would be higher out there in the
woods far from the roadway. Note that Table 2 confirms this logic.
4. C. As we saw in question 3, since nitrogen oxides are thicker near the roads than far
from them ...
5. D. How many times can they ask us the same question? Note that the same
information that helps us get questions 3 and 4 right helps us here. One way or
another, nitrogen oxides replace ozone near roads, so areas farther from roads
would have more ozone and less nitrogen oxides.
6. D. More cars produce more NO2, right? Since 30,000 vehicles produce 22 ppb, then
more than 30,000 vehicles will produce more than 22 ppb. In such questions, if you’re
pressed for time, pick the biggest answer choice and move on.
ACT TEN FOR TEN
act essay notes
Two readers each score your 30-minute ACT essay holistically on a 1-6 scale—
that means the reader doesn’t take “half a point off here, a quarter point off
there,” but rather gives you a number grade that sums up her overall impression
of what you’ve written. (Check out how the ACT people rate various essays on
pages 120-144 of The Real ACT Prep Guide.) Your score is the sum of those two
assessments.
What does this mean to you? Your essay grade will depend on how well you
identify and develop your arguments on the given topic. Since the best essays
will consider both sides of an issue while favoring one, shouldn’t you use an essay
template you can customize to the essay question?
A sample essay prompt:
Some high schools in the United States have considered eliminating “tracking,”
an assessment system that assigns more accomplished students to more
advanced, and difficult, course loads. Some educators feel that tracking
marginalizes1 students they label “slow starters,” that is, those students who are
identified early in their high school careers as not having what it takes to perform
on the “fast track.” They also feel that the elimination of tracking will not harm
more advanced or motivated students, who will be recruited to tutor and
mentor those who are moving more slowly. Other educators feel that such a
decision will essentially reduce the speed of any class to that of its slowest
member, holding back stronger students and so eliminating the chance that the
school’s brightest students can distinguish themselves. In your opinion, should
high schools eliminate “tracking”?
In your essay, take a position on this issue. You may write about either one of the
two points of view given, or you may present a different point of view on this
question. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
Do you feel that tracking is a bad thing that should be eliminated? If so, great!
Why?
1
According to dictionary.com, “To relegate or confine to a lower or outer limit or edge, as of social
standing.”
act essay notes
2
Do you feel that tracking is a good thing that should be protected? If so, great!
Why?
ARGUMENTS
First, all arguments are flawed. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be called
arguments—they’d be called facts. So, if you think your arguments are weak,
write them down anyway. What looks weak to you could be judged as terrific in
this “30-minute essay” format. Start by making a bullet point list that looks
something like the following on the page provided:
Pro
•
Argument 1
•
Argument 2
•
Argument 3
•
Argument 1
•
Argument 2
•
Argument 3
Con
You should come up with at least two arguments for each side. If you want to
write convincingly, you have to consider the merits of the “other” side as well as
“your” side.
Why?
How are you going to convince anyone to come over to your side if you don’t at
least acknowledge their concerns? (Some teachers call this “nodding to the
other side.”)
So, why don’t you head back up to the bullet points and fill some in? The text
there is in gray so you can write over it. Go ahead. I’ll wait right here.
act essay notes
3
PICKING A SIDE
You might have no opinion one way or another on the essay topic or you might
have a very strong opinion. In either case, here’s the same recommendation.
Argue the side that’s more enjoyable!
What does that mean? It means that you should look at your bullet points and
take the side for which you’ve listed stronger evidence. Then argue that side.
Some people feel uncomfortable arguing against their natural position.
However, the advantage to arguing a position you would never favor in real life
is that you cannot rely on emotion to carry you through. The only way to
experience this for sure is to purposely choose the “other” side during a practice
essay and see how it comes out!
Once you’ve chosen your side, choose the order in which you’ll present your
arguments. Check to see which of the “other” side’s arguments you can use—
we’ll explore how shortly.
THE REASONABLE RULE
The Reasonable Rule has two prongs:
1) You can’t prove much in a two-page essay so keep your arguments in line
with your evidence; and
2) If you get emotional, you will lose the reader, since your mental state will
become more interesting than the subject matter.
What does this mean? Well, for starters, no universal statements (“Tracking is
something that affects everyone.”), since they’re either (a) impossible to prove
or (b) obvious to everyone. In the first case, see Rule 1 (don’t claim anything you
can’t back up with evidence); in the second case, please don’t tell the reader
stuff she already knows. The readers are on the clock. If you take up her time
with such homilies2, she will resent you for it.
Staying Reasonable is very important, so if this is unclear in any way, ask!
INTRO AND CONCLUSION—PART 1
I’ve always believed that writing an introduction before I’ve written the essay it
introduces is a waste of time—how do you know what ideas you’ll discover and
develop while you’re filling in your bullet points? So, how about leaving some
space at the top of the page (maybe five lines; after you’ve done a few
2
According to dictionary.com, “A tedious moralizing lecture or admonition.”
act essay notes
4
practice essays, you’ll know how much space you need for your introductory
paragraph) and starting with paragraph 2?
ARGUMENT AND EVIDENCE
Begin fleshing out your bullet points in paragraph 2. In order to do so, you’ll need
to use two techniques:
(1) evidence from your own reading and experience; and
(2) acknowledgement of the validity of the “other” side’s counterargument.
Example argument: “While tracking might be helpful to the college
prospects of the ‘best and the brightest,’ it has a harmful effect on those
students who never make it onto the fast track.”
The test maker really values evidence from your own experience, but that’s the
hardest stuff to pre-set. Suffice to say that you are encouraged to incorporate
information from your reading as well as what you’ve gleaned from your life.
Example evidence: “It is unlikely that I could have learned to play the
bassoon if I had had to practice in my front yard.”
Example evidence: “If my grades could be seen by everyone in my class,
I would be concerned that getting good grades might make me
unpopular.”
Example evidence: “According to Michele Hernandez in her book, A is
for Admission, students who do not distinguish themselves as freshmen
often never have another chance.”
However, the people who grade essays are ordered to punish folks who make
stuff up.
Example bad evidence: “Four of my siblings were put on the fast track
early in high school and they all had nervous breakdowns. So, in 9th
grade I pretended not to be able to read.”
Example bad evidence: “Getting onto the fast track guarantees that
you’ll be accepted to any school you apply to.”
Example bad evidence: “My uncle George wrote a book on tracking,
saying it’s a Martian invention that, clearly, worked real well on Mars.”
These may actually be true, but nobody’s going to believe you.
act essay notes
5
INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION—PART II
Now that you’ve presented the essential parts of your case, you can head back
to the beginning of your essay. I suggest you start by writing the introduction
using shorthand notes on the inside cover. Once you have done so, you will
have a good idea how long the introduction will be.
What do you put in your introduction? You state your position:
Example introduction: “Whenever people are taught in a group, some will
have trouble keeping up while others will be bored. However, ‘tracking’
students is just another way to shuffle individuals into a group. If the goal
for educators is to make each class as relevant as possible to each
member of the class, ‘tracking’ merely confuses the issue, since relevance
can only be achieved if educators combine classroom assessment and
individual attention.”
You can add to that, but you really don’t have to.
When you begin your conclusion, think these words: “In conclusion ...” You can
write them if you want, but I think it’s stronger just to think them and then write
what comes next:
Example conclusion: “While putting students on the ‘fast track’ might
help those students get into the ‘right’ colleges, supporting a system that
treats the majority of students as somehow second-class is too high a
price to pay.”
GRAMMAR, SPELLING, AND HANDWRITING
It would be great if you put so much thought into your bullet points that as you
expanded upon those points you could concentrate merely on grammar and
spelling. However, it’s pretty unlikely that in the short time allowed you’ll be able
to think through every aspect of your argument—so, since you need to keep
thinking as you write, how much of your energy should you spend worrying about
grammar, spelling, and handwriting?
Well, no matter how good your ideas, if your handwriting argues for medical
school you’ll not fare well on the essay. I don’t know about you, but if somebody
makes it hard for me to read something, I get mad at that person. Mad readers
do not give good grades.
As for spelling and grammar, perfection is not vital to a good or great score. If
your ideas are organized, you’ll probably write about them grammatically. If you
misspell a word or two, it won’t be held against you as long as the reader can
figure out what word you intended.
act essay notes
6
On another front, let’s consider using transition words, since using them is a great
way to guide your reader from idea to idea. Make your reader’s life easy.
Example transition: “For instance, if my grades could be seen by
everyone in my class, I would be concerned that getting good grades
might make me unpopular.”
Example transition: “Moreover, It is unlikely that I could have learned to
play the bassoon if I had had to do my lessons in my front yard.”
Example transition: “Creating a high school ‘master class,’ however, can
lead to unreasonable expectations from those favored and a loss of
interest from those who feel left out.”
Example transition: Furthermore, according to Michele Hernandez in her
book, A is for Admission, students who do not distinguish themselves as
freshmen often never have another chance.”
IN SUM
Be organized. Be willing to look at both sides of an issue and take what you
would normally consider the “other” side if that side’s arguments are easier to
flesh out. Use your first-hand or educational experience to illustrate arguments.
Consider and then reject the “other” side’s arguments. Be reasonable. Add
your introduction and your conclusion after you’ve put the middle of your essay
on the page.
The template recommended here is intended to free you up to be as creative
and expressive as possible. You can probably get a 4 without injecting a lot of
personality into your piece, but to get a 5 or above your viewpoint and writing
have to be unique. So, the more you pre-think the process, the less time you’ll
need to spend thinking about how to put it all together, the more time you can
spend expanding upon what’s unique about your viewpoint—and then
supporting that viewpoint with your unique experiences.