Preparing Students �for the �ACT English Test
Sara Wickham Instructional Coach
Structure of the English Test
Test Structure
Provide students opportunities to be familiar with the test style.
Question Types
Yes/No Questions
At this point, the writer is considering adding the following true statement:
I have many photo albums, and each one includes pictures of my father in various poses.
Should the writer make this addition here?
F. Yes, because it informs the reader that the photograph he describes in the preceding sentence is not the only one he has of his father.
G. Yes, because it informs the reader that the writer is more than an amateur photographer.
H. No, because it contradicts the writer’s claim that the photograph he describes in the preceding sentence is one he also treasures.
J. No, because it distracts the reader from the main focus of the paragraph and does not logically fit at this point in the essay.
Yes/No Question for Art
Yes/No Question for Art
A. Yes, because there are repetitive textures and shapes framing the focal point, which is the portrait.
B. Yes, because the subject is placed to draw your eye through the entire photograph.
C. No, because the photograph does not have balance.
D. No, because there is no clear focal point.
Best Choice Questions
Given that all of the choices are true, which one best supports the sentence’s claim about Vatican City’s status as an independent nation?
A.NO CHANGE
B.with an interesting past.
C.with its own government, banking system, postal service, and army.
D.that has to import most of its supplies, even such necessities as food and water.
Sample Best Choice Question �for Social Studies
Given that all of the choices are true, which one best supports the sentence’s claim about the impact of the Reformation on the political landscape of Europe?
A.NO CHANGE
B. reduced the income of the Roman Catholic Church.
C. allowed the political leaders to keep the tithe they had been required to pay to the Roman Catholic Church.
D. lessened the pope’s influence on national and local rulers because many left the Roman Catholic Church.
Least Acceptable Questions
Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would be LEAST acceptable?
Sequence Questions
Sequence Questions
Sample Sequence Question for Science
A student is conducting a laboratory experiment and has been given the following procedure;
1- Collect materials
2- Add substance A
3- Heat for 4 minutes
4- Mass final product
If a fifth step is introduced, “Gather needed equipment” where would it best fit?
A. NO CHANGE
B. After step 1
C. After step 3
D. After step 4
Sample Sequence Question �for Math
Sequence Question for Math Cont.
Negative Questions
Sample Negative Question �for Science
Which of the following is NOT a derived unit?
A. M
B. m/sec
C. mL
D. g/mol
Sample Negative Question �for Math
While solving the equation 2(x + 7) + 2 = 26, which of the following steps would NOT be acceptable?
A. Distribute, to get 2x + 14 + 2 = 26
B. Subtract 2 from both sides, to get 2(x + 7) = 24
C. Divide everything by 2, to get x + 7 + 1 = 13
D. Add 7 and 2, to get 2x + 9 = 26
(the correct answer is d)
Sample Negative Question �for Social Studies
Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable: Congress and the President must work together on the budget for gridlock not to occur, but on occasion they fail to put aside different political ambitions and gridlock occurs.
F. yet,
G. therefore,
H. still,
J. nonetheless,
Keep-Delete Questions
Primarily Lose Questions
If the writer were to delete the words tiny and disproportionately from the preceding sentence, the sentence would primarily lose:
F.elements of the setting of the essay.
G.a contrast emphasizing the unusual number of sites.
H.details that stress how important the sites are.
J.a comparison between Vatican
English Test Vocabulary
Good Practice