rior, require you to balance on one leg and hold a pose that strengthens leg, back, and stomach muscles. While yoga tones and strengthens the body, it also tones and strengthens the mind. Many poses if you are completely focused on the task, and full benefit of the poses comes only through proper breathing. Concentrated, deep breathing during yoga helps you extend more fully into the poses, thereby gaining greater benefit from the stretch. And the steady circulation of breath through your body both calms and energizes. unlike any other physical activity because it is also a spiritual practice. Through yoga, I am able to release tensions that lodge in various parts of my body: the tight shoulders, the cramped legs, the . The physical release is also a spiritual release: I feel calm after doing yoga, reconnected to my body, recon- nected to my self, more at peace with the world. After a series of asanas (poses), I feel the universal life force within. 71. a. NO CHANGE b. hooked on c. devoted to d. practitioners of 72. f. NO CHANGE g. Done correctly h. To do it correctly j. OMIT the underlined portion 73. a. NO CHANGE b. that c. whom d. which belly that is in knots ᎏᎏᎏ I am still relatively new to yoga. I have only been practicing for one year. I am addicted to yoga ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ can be only held ᎏᎏ – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 124 74. f. NO CHANGE g. one’s h. your j. these 75. a. NO CHANGE b. are only holding c. can only be holden d. can only be held 76. The writer wishes to improve the sentence structure here by combining sentences. Which of the fol- lowing choices is the most effective option? f. I am still relatively new to yoga. Practicing only for one year, I am addicted to yoga . . . g. Still relatively new to yoga, I have been practicing for only one year. But I am addicted to yoga . . . h. I am still relatively new to yoga—I have been practicing for only one year—but I am addicted to yoga j. Although I am relatively new to yoga, I have been practicing for only one year. Still, I am addicted to yoga 77. a. NO CHANGE b. knotted belly c. knots within the belly d. aching within the stomach area 78. The writer would like to add some figurative language to the essay. Which of the following images would be most effective and appropriate? f. I feel like a million bucks after doing yoga. g. Yoga is like a warm blanket. h. Yoga is like a drug. j. Yoga is a peaceful journey. 79. If the writer were to combine two paragraphs, which two paragraphs would it be most logical to con- nect? a. paragraphs 1 and 2 b. paragraphs 2 and 3 c. paragraphs 3 and 4 d. paragraphs 4 and 5 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 125 80. The writer would like readers to do some basic yoga poses after reading this essay. To achieve this goal, the writer should: f. list the best yoga videos, so readers can purchase them. g. compare and contrast yoga to another fitness activity, such as aerobics. h. tell readers how to get into those basic positions. j. describe the benefits of deep breathing exercises. Practice Questions Answers and Explanations Passage 1: Bicycles 1. b. This choice has the most appropriate and correct usage and word choice. 2. h. The phrase a Scottish blacksmith is relevant but nonessential information and needs to be set off by commas. 3. a. This is correct as is. 4. h. The verb needs to be in the past tense. 5. b. There should not be a comma between a subject and a verb. 6. j. This choice gives the sentence parallel structure. 7. d. Comma after an introductory word or phrase and they + are contraction. 8. h. This choice presents the correct word order. 9. b. This choice gives readers reasons to buy a bicycle for themselves. 10. j. This is the most logical sequence. The sentence about Lawson and naming the safety bicycle must come before the details of the safety bicycle. Sentence 13 is the best conclusion for the paragraph. Passage 2: Industrial Revolution 11. b. This change would make the sentence more concise. 12. g. This choice makes the sentence parallel. 13. d. This is the most logical sequence: first, the sentence giving the overall timeline of the revolution, then the next two sentences in chronological order. 14. f. This is the most correct and concise choice. 15. c. This is the most concise choice. Choices a and d are redundant; choice b has improper word order. 16. j. This is the best choice. Choice g is grammatically correct, but j combines the sentences for greater sentence variety. 17. a. This choice presents the correct word order and conveys the correct idea. 18. g. This is the correct prepositional idiom. 19. b. This ties in the issues in the paragraph: mass production, moving into cities and towns, and large populations. Choice a is irrelevant, and choices c and d are related, but off topic. 20. h. All of the topics are related to the Industrial Revolution, but this essay focuses on mass production, so this topic would be the most logical to add. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 126 Passage 3: Annie Smith Peck 21. c. This is the most correct and concise choice. 22. g. Separate items in a list with commas, unless one or more items already has a comma (then use a semi-colon). 23. a. This is correct as it stands. Choice c would create a sentence fragment. 24. g. This is the most concise and appropriate version. 25. d. This gives the sentence parallel structure. 26. f. This is correct as it stands. 27. b. Hacked is the most precise and vivid word choice. 28. j. This sentence should be omitted; it does not fit the tone and style of the essay. 29. a. This is correct as it stands. Choice d would create a sentence fragment. 30. g. Sentence 4 is off topic and should be eliminated to maintain the focus of the paragraph. Passage 4: The Gateway Arch 31. b. The colon is the most correct punctuation mark here. Colons introduce explanations. 32. h. This choice has the most appropriate and concise word choice. It could be omitted without ruining the sentence (choice j), but it would take out an idea central to the essay: that the monument is amazing. 33. d. There are no commas needed here. 34. f. This is the correct helping verb and tense. 35. b. Imposing should be a modifier, and using the participial form is the most concise. 36. h. Use who when referring to people. 37. b. Put commas around transitional phrases. 38. j. This is the most concise and effective version. 39. b. This is the most logical choice. The first paragraph introduces the topic and main idea; the third paragraph then describes the background of the Arch and establishes a chronological order; the sec- ond paragraph continues the chronology; and the fourth paragraph returns to the idea of the Arch’s remarkable design, as established in the introduction. 40. j. The writer discusses the design of the monument, but does not describe how the city and monu- ment honor St. Louis’s role as a gateway to westward expansion. It simply mentions this fact. Passage 5: Wilma Rudolph 41. b. This choice corrects the sentence fragment. 42. g. This choice makes the sentence consistent in tense and is more concise than choice h. 43. a. This is correct as it stands. The who clause is non-essential and should be set off by a comma. 44. h. This is the correct word order. 45. b. This is the most correct and concise version. The transition here should not be omitted as it makes the passage of time easier to follow. 46. j. Choice f is a run-on; choice g incorrectly uses a semi-colon; and choice h incorrectly uses the dash. 47. b. However is the most appropriate transition here. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 127 48. h. This choice offers the most precise and vivid word choice. 49. a. This choice best conveys the main idea of the passage. Choice b focuses only on Rudolph’s family; choice c understates the physical handicaps she overcame; and choice d does not mention her athletic accomplishments. 50. h. The most logical place is after the sentence that lists the three gold medals that Rudolph won. Passage 6: Science Fiction 51. c. This choice corrects the sentence fragment and keeps the not only but alsoconstruction intact. 52. g. Choice f incorrectly uses being; choice h includes superfluous commas and uses the past tense, though the genre still exists; and choice j sets off what is important in the sentence—the name of the new genre—in parentheses, indicating that it is not important. 53. c. This version gives the sentence parallel structure. 54. j. This correctly sets off the transitional phrase with commas. 55. d. This choice presents the correct word order, placing what was churned out immediately after the verb and then the prepositional phrase after, to show who received those stories. 56. h. This is the most strongly worded choice and is consistent with the tone of the essay. 57. c. The possessive pronoun should be used here. 58. f. This version is correct as it stands. The other versions have incorrect or awkward word order or usage. 59. a. This is relevant and would show the current direction of the genre. This is appropriate since the paragraph is about looking ahead to the future of science fiction and humankind. The quotation from Frankenstein might or might not be relevant; a summary of Shelley’s life would be out of place in this paragraph; and the author is unable to answer the questions in the paragraph—he can only make an educated guess. 60. g. The introduction is too general to include a focus on the plot of Frankenstein, and because this novel marked the beginning of science fiction, it is entitled to its own paragraph. It would be out of chronological order to place it anywhere after that. Passage 7: Sigmund Freud 61. d. This is the most concise choice. The other options are all redundant. 62. g. The commas here are superfluous. Choice j would create a sentence fragment. 63. a. This is the most appropriate transitional phrase for this sentence. 64. h. This is the most correct word order. 65. b. This sentence is related, but not within the focus of the paragraph. It is best omitted. 66. j. The simple present tense is correct here. 67. c. This corrects the sentence fragment. 68. g. This should be clear from the transitions and the simile comparing the mind to an iceberg. 69. d. A definition is offered after each italicized term. 70. f. This connects the main ideas in each paragraph: the impulses that control behavior and repression. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 128 Passage 8: Yoga 71. c. This is the most appropriate and precise word choice. 72. g. The introductory phrase is most effective with the verb do, and this is the correct form to use. 73. a. The reference is to people, so who is correct. 74. h. The possessive pronoun is required here. One’s is incorrect because that creates a shift in pronoun (from you to one). 75. d. This is the correct word order. 76. h. This is the most correct and effective combination of sentences. The other versions misuse transi- tions. 77. b. This choice makes the sentence parallel and is the most concise. 78. j. This is the most appropriate metaphor. Choice f is a cliché. Choice g is ineffective; it is unclear what emotion the simile is trying to convey. Without further explanation, choice h is an inappropriate com- parison. 79. a. The second paragraph continues to explain why yoga is different and expresses the main idea of the essay. 80. h. This is the best way to achieve the goal of getting readers to do poses. The writer needs to provide some instruction. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 129 . pronoun (from you to one). 75 . d. This is the correct word order. 76 . h. This is the most correct and effective combination of sentences. The other versions misuse transi- tions. 77 . b. This choice makes. held ᎏᎏ – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 124 74 . f. NO CHANGE g. one’s h. your j. these 75 . a. NO CHANGE b. are only holding c. can only be holden d. can only be held 76 . The writer wishes to improve the. for only one year. Still, I am addicted to yoga 77 . a. NO CHANGE b. knotted belly c. knots within the belly d. aching within the stomach area 78 . The writer would like to add some figurative language