ACT READING AND ENGLISH. Preparation Tips and Tricks

Transcription

1 ACT READING AND ENGLISH Preparation Tips and Tricks

2 NUTS AND BOLTS - READING 4 passages (about 750 words each) 40 questions 35 minutes 8-9 minutes to read each passage and answer the corresponding questions

3 FOUR TYPES OF PASSAGES Prose fiction Social science Humanities Natural science

4 PROSE FICTION USE THE CAPS STRATEGY C look for information regarding the characters A then look for attitudes P determine what the problem (issue) is S find the solution typically in the conclusion Note: The first paragraph often sets the tone/mood for what follows. Read it carefully!

5 PROSE FICTION CAPS STRATEGY PRACTICE As she boarded the plane, Natalie felt a lump in her throat. Would she ever return to her homeland? The image of her family flashed through her head, and she tried to hold back the tears that filled her eyes. Yet she smiled as she thought of the new experiences and wealth of knowledge that lay ahead. Character? Attitude? Problem? Solution?

6 SOCIAL SCIENCE FIND THE AUTHOR S PURPOSE Social science passages can include anything relating to people s behavior (history, economics, psychology, etc.) Look for the author s thesis or purpose in writing the passage. The purpose is usually stated at the end of the first paragraph. However, be aware that the main idea may not be directly stated but, instead, inferred or introduced in the following paragraphs. Look at topic sentences to find the main idea of each paragraph.

7 SOCIAL SCIENCE AUTHOR S PURPOSE PRACTICE When we think of our forefathers who shaped our present-day society, the names George Washington and Thomas Jefferson come to mind. However, one cannot look at our present legal system without thinking of John Marshall. Most would agree that he was influential, but was John Marshall the great jurist that history has recorded? What is the author s purpose in this passage?

8 HUMANITIES: LOOK FOR THE TYPE OF PASSAGE Humanities passages are often about the arts, movies, TV, literature, or philosophy. The humanities passage may be a memoir or narrative. It can also be factual like the social science passage. If the passage is a narrative, use the CAPS strategy. If the passage is factual, be aware of the topic sentences and the location of details.

9 HUMANITIES: TYPE OF PASSAGE PRACTICE 1. As a young girl, I always wanted to be a teacher. I would find my sister and sit her in an imaginary classroom. Then I would write the alphabet on the board in my best handwriting and watch as she copied each letter on the paper. 2. The Eiffel Tower is one structure that reflects man s desire to reach for the stars. Today architects compete to build taller and taller buildings. This desire can be traced to the biblical story of the tower of Babel.

10 NATURAL SCIENCE: FOCUS ON THE LOCATION OF DETAILS The natural science relates to one of the hard sciences. This passage is factual and full of details. However, you do not need to learn every detail because doing so takes too much time. Instead, look for the main idea. Mark the location of details so you can find them easily when you need them. If time is short, answer the questions with specific line references first.

11 ANSWERING TIPS - READING Work smarter, not harder!

12 USE THE THREE-STEP APPROACH TO ANSWERING READING QUESTIONS 1. Read the question. 2. Read through the answer choices and get rid of the choices that are obviously wrong. 3. Read the remaining choices, looking for an incorrect word or idea in one of the answers. Eliminate that choice. The remaining answer is correct.

13 ANSWERING TIPS AND TRICKS: THE DOS Place a star next to main points as you read the passage You do not have time for detailed annotations, but you do need to find important points quickly. Look for important phrases in the questions When the question says the author indicates, the passage indicates, or according to the passage, the answer is stated in the passage. Questions that begin with the main conflict is, the author believes that, or one can conclude require you to paraphrase. Read the answer choices before looking back.

14 ANSWERING TIPS AND TRICKS: THE DON TS Do not read the questions before the passage It takes too much time and doesn t give you important info Do not ignore conclusions Conclusions often clarify the main idea and help you answer questions Beware of using exact wording from the passage in answers These choices are often, not always, there as distractions! Use specific line references carefully Read a few lines before and after to provide context

15 PACING How to finish in time!

16 READING QUICKLY AND ACTIVELY Stay focused and do not let your mind wander. Using your answer sheet to focus your eyes on the line you are reading can help you read faster. Remember that you have a little less than 9 minutes to complete each passage and its questions. Practice at this pace!

17 ASSESS AND ABANDON The reading section always includes several very challenging questions. If you cannot find the answer quickly, abandon that question and make an educated guess. Finishing the test is important because you will be penalized for blank answers. If you cannot finish the test, fill in the same letter for the remaining questions. Choose middle letters such as B/G or C/H

18 COMMON QUESTIONS AND HOW TO ANSWER Know what to expect!

19 FINDING THE MAIN IDEA The main idea in the prose fiction and humanities passages are usually connected to a character s attitude. The main ideas in the social science and natural science passages are usually stated at the end of the first paragraph. Look at the title to help you find the main idea.

20 FACTUAL QUESTIONS The ACT includes many factual questions. The answers to these questions are stated exactly (or almost exactly) in the passage. Take the time to look back and verify what you remember. It doesn t take more than a few seconds and saves you from making careless mistakes.

21 INFERENCE QUESTIONS When the ACT asks you to make an inference, you need to read between the lines. These answers are stated in different terms or simply implied by the passage.

22 THESIS QUESTIONS The thesis is the largest, broadest statement in the passage. It is something worth arguing about, precise, and supported by the rest of the passage.

23 WORDS IN CONTEXT He was an affable man: smiling, tipping his hat, and greeting all with a cheerful good morning. The word affable most nearly means: A. Friendly B. Agile C. Withdrawn D. Generous

24 WORDS IN CONTEXT Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain. If an idea catches on, it can be said to propagate itself spreading from brain to brain. The word propagate most nearly means: A. Multiply B. Prove C. Conceal D. Confirm

25 FINAL TIPS Stay focused. Develop your own reading strategy. Practice, practice, practice!

26 NUTS AND BOLTS ENGLISH 45 minutes 75 multiple choice questions Skills measured Usage and mechanics Rhetorical

27 USAGE AND MECHANICS Skills Tested

28 USAGE AND MECHANICS Sentence Structure 24% of the questions These items test your ability to properly construct a sentence. Basic Grammar and Usage 16% of the questions. These items test your knowledge of parts of speech, verb formation, use of idioms, and antecedent-pronoun agreement. Punctuation 13% of the questions. These items include both internal and end-of-sentence punctuation

29 RHETORICAL SKILLS Skills Tested

30 RHETORICAL SKILLS Strategy 16% of the questions. These items focus on your ability to make appropriate word and phrase choices and your ability to avoid the problems of wordiness, redundancy, cliches, and ambiguous references Organization 15% of the questions. These items test your ability to understand how ideas are organized, ordered, and unified Style 16% of the questions. These items focus on your ability to choose appropriate transitions, strong opening and closing sentences, and to identify which words and expressions reflect the purpose and meaning of the passage

31 SPECIAL GRAMMAR PROBLEMS The ACT loves these!

32 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT A list of items available was/were on the board. One of the students was/were prepared for class. Hayden, like her two friends, watch/watches every episode.

33 INDEFINITE PRONOUNS These ALWAYS take a singular verb and are referred back to by a singular pronoun. Memorize this list. Another Everyone Anybody Somebody Anyone Everything Anything Neither One Nobody Each No one Either Someone Everybody

34 A PRONOUN MUST AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT Someone left their/her ipad in the hallway. A student should take care of her/their library fines promptly. Nobody has finished their/her essay yet.

35 WHO OR WHOM? Quick Trick! Replace who or whom with he or him. If he fits, choose who If him fits, choose whom (they both end with the letter m) Examples: Who/whom was appointed chairman? Who/whom did she appoint? From who/whom did they receive the bad news?

36 FINAL TIPS Practice, practice, practice. Learning to use language well will help you far beyond the ACT. Your efforts now will pay off!