Act exam success_4 docx

A: I couldn’t believe it. I mean, who would have guessed? I sure didn’t! I had no clue, no clue at all. And I was the last person to find out, too. It figures. B: I was deeply shocked; I had never suspected such a thing. Not surprisingly, I was the last person to become aware of the situation. These two examples are drastically different in style and in the level of formality. Though they both tell the same story and both use the personal first-person I, there’s clearly a different relationship to the reader. From the word choice and style—the short sentences, the very casual language—we can tell that the writer of passage A has a more informal, more friendly relationship with the reader than the writer of passage B. The emotion of the writer in passage A is much more transparent, too, because the language is more infor- mal and natural. You get the idea that passage A is addressed to a friend while passage B might be addressed to an official. On the ACT, you probably won’t be asked directly about level of formality. But you can use your aware- ness of level of formality to draw conclusions about audience and to determine which revisions or additions would best fit the text. Practice 15 Rank the sentences below according to formality. Put a 1 next to the sentence that is most formal and a 3 next to the sentence that is most casual. 1. ______ Move faster. ______ Pick up the pace. ______ Increase your speed. 2. ______ Gimme a hand, would you? ______ Would you please assist me? ______ Would you help me out here? Answers 1. 2 Move faster. 3 Pick up the pace. 1 Increase your speed. 2. 3 Gimme a hand, would you? 1 Would you please assist me? 2 Would you help me out here? – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 97 FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY An important aspect of style is figurative language and imagery. Figurative language includes similes and metaphors. A simile compares two things using the words like or as. A metaphor is stronger than a simile because it makes the comparison without the words like or as. Here’s an example: No figurative language: She was running around like crazy. Simile: She was running around like the Mad Hatter. Metaphor: She was the Mad Hatter. Figurative language is so effective because it helps readers picture what the writer is describing in an imaginative, original way. (“She was running around like a chicken with its head cut off” is a simile, but it’s also a cliché—an overused phrase that should be avoided.) For similes and metaphors to work, the two things being compared must be sufficiently different. For example, it doesn’t work to compare a moth to a butterfly. However, it does work to compare a butterfly and the way curtains flutter in the wind. Imagery does not make a comparison, but it does paint a picture for readers by engaging the senses. Here are two examples: The cat lay in a warm circle of sunlight just beneath the window. The smell of freshly-baked apples and cinnamon drifted across the room to where I sat next to a crackling fire. Of course, figurative language and imagery must be appropriate. Figurative language and imagery would be appropriate (even expected) in a narrative essay, but you probably should not include such language in a lab report for your physics class. And in any case, your similes, metaphors, and images should not offend or change the style or tone of your text. Practice 16 Part A: Create similes and metaphors for the following sentences. 1. He has a quiet manner. Simile: Metaphor: 2. She was very angry. Simile: Metaphor: – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 98 Part B: Use imagery to describe the following. 1. A body of water 2. A house Answers Part A 1. He has a quiet manner. Simile: He is as quiet as a whisper. (As quiet as a mouse is a cliché.) Metaphor: He is a whisper. 2. She was very angry. Simile: She was as angry as a tornado. Metaphor: She was a tornado. Part B 1. A body of water The gentle lapping of the waves lulled me to sleep by the lake. 2. A house The door to the gray house on the hill slammed shut in the wind, the sound echoing throughout the empty rooms. C ONSISTENCY IN STYLE AND TONE Appropriate and consistent tone is another element of effective writing that will be tested on the ACT Eng- lish Test. You may be asked to determine whether the writer’s tone is appropriate for his or her audience and purpose and to identify whether the writer has shifted tone in the passage. Tone is the mood or attitude conveyed by words or speech. Think, for example, of all the different ways to say sure or hello. It’s how you say the word that conveys so much of its meaning. When you listen to others, it’s usually pretty easy to hear the tone of their voice. But how do you “hear” tone in writing? How can you tell how the words should sound? Say you come across the word sure as you are reading. How do you know whether to whisper it or shout it? When we speak, we create tone by how quickly or slowly we say a word, how loudly or softly we say it, and how we use facial expressions and body language. When we read, though, we can’t hear how the writer says something. And we certainly can’t see the writer’s facial expressions or body language. But we can look carefully at word choice, punctuation, and style to help determine tone. For example, recall this pair of sen- tences from our punctuation review: Wait, I’m coming with you. Wait—I’m coming with you! – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 99 Here, it is the punctuation that changes the tone. The first sentence is calm, neutral. The second sen- tence, on the other hand, is emotional, excited. There are endless varieties of tones when we speak. Likewise, there are endless varieties of tone in writ- ing. Here’s a list of some of the more common words used to describe tone: cheerful hopeful sad gloomy apologetic critical sincere insincere sarcastic ironic playful demanding bossy indifferent anxious respectful disrespectful foreboding uncertain threatening matter-of-fact somber grateful annoyed humorous mocking defeated uplifting timid joyful secure insecure hesitant bold rude complimentary angry confident mischievous proud Practice 17 Carefully read the sentences below to determine their tone. Read them out loud and listen to how they sound when you read them. With what kind of voice do you read? What is your tone? 1. Um, do you think maybe my pizza will be ready soon? a. playful b. hesitant c. cheerful 2. Where the devil is my pizza?! f. gloomy g. disrespectful h. demanding 3. Alright already, your pizza’s coming! a. rude b. bold c. annoyed 4. Just a moment, please. Your pizza will be ready shortly. f. respectful g. timid h. anxious – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 100 5. Don’t push the yellow button. If you do, the system will shut down. a. bossy b. matter-of-fact c. ironic 6. Don’t you dare even go near that yellow button! f. threatening g. sad h. demanding Answers 1. b. 2. h. 3. c. 4. f. 5. b. 6. f. VARIETY IN SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND RHETORICAL TECHNIQUES FOR EMPHASIS Some ACT English Test questions will test your ability to manipulate sentence structure and punctuation for effect. Sentence structure, as we noted earlier, is an important element of style. If all of your sentences have the same pattern, you will end up with writing that is monotonous and dry, like the following passage: He is six feet, three inches tall. He is 34 years old. He loves to play golf. He drives a new convert- ible. He is a doctor. He works in a hospital. He lives in New Jersey. Unsophisticated and quite dull, isn’t it? That is because all of the sentences are short and share the same structure; they all start with he and a present tense verb. This is quite different from parallel structure. Par- allelism means using a repeating sentence pattern to create rhythm within a sentence or paragraph. This kind of repetition, on the other hand, creates monotony and shows a lack of flexibility in creating sentence pat- terns. Here’s the same paragraph revised to show variety in sentence structure: This 34-year-old doctor measures six feet, three inches tall. A New Jersey resident, he is a big fan of golf, and he drives his new convertible to the golf course whenever he can slip away from the hospital. Notice how much more interesting this paragraph is now. The seven sentences have been combined into two, and they both start with something other than he. Many of the short sentences have been turned into modifiers that make for more varied sentence patterns. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 101 Sentence structure and punctuation can also be used to manipulate emphasis. The best place to put sen- tence elements that you want to emphasize is at the end (the “save the best for last” approach). What comes last is what lingers longest in the readers’ ears. He is tall, dark, and handsome. [The emphasis is on handsome. If tall were the most impor- tant characteristic, then it should come last.] She is smart, reliable, and experienced. [The emphasis is on experienced;ifsmart is the most important characteristic, then that should be last in the list.] You can also use a dash to set off part of a sentence for emphasis: He is tall, dark, handsome—and married. Here, the stress on the last element is heightened by the dash, which emphasizes the sense of disap- pointment in the sentence. Practice 18 Rewrite the following paragraph to create more variety in sentence structure. The coast of the State of Maine is one of the most irregular in the world. Draw a straight line from the southernmost city in Maine, Kittery, to the northernmost coastal city, Eastport. This line would measure about 225 miles. Follow the coastline between the same two cities. The distance is more than ten times as far. This irregularity is the result of what is called a drowned coastline. The term comes from the glacial activity of the ice age. The glacier descended. It expended enormous force on those mountains. The mountains sank into the sea. Answer Answers will vary. Here’s one possibility: The coast of the State of Maine is one of the most irregular in the world. If you draw a straight line from Kittery, the southernmost city in Maine, to Eastport, the northernmost coastal city, the line would measure about 225 miles. Follow the coastline between the same two cities, however, and the distance is more than ten times as far. This irregularity is the result of what is called a drowned coastline, a term that comes from the glacial activity of the ice age. When the glacier descended, it expended enormous force on those mountains, and the mountains sank into the sea. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 102 AVOIDING AMBIGUITY, WORDINESS, AND REDUNDANCY An ambiguous word or phrase is one that has two or more possible meanings. Take a look at this sentence, for example: That’s a big book. This sentence can be read in two ways: that the book has many pages, or that the cover is large. You can eliminate this ambiguity by revising the sentence in one of the following ways: That book has many pages. That book’s cover is large. Another type of ambiguity happens when a phrase is in the wrong place in a sentence (see page 42 for more information on modifier placement). For example, look at the following sentence: He was standing next to the car on the corner. Here, the word order, not word choice, creates ambiguity. Was he on the corner, or was the car on the corner? Because the phrase on the corner is in the wrong place, the sentence is unclear. It should be revised to read: He was standing on the corner next to the car. or He was standing next to the car parked on the corner. Unclear Pronoun References Ambiguity can also result from unclear pronoun references. (For a pronoun review, see pages 75–76.) Here’s an example: Connor told Mark that he needed glasses. In this sentence, there are two different people he could be referring to: Connor and Mark. Clearly, this sentence needs to be revised. But it would be awkward to say Connor told Mark that Connor needed glasses. A good way out is to use dialogue: Connor told Mark, “I need glasses.” – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 103 Here’s another kind of unclear pronoun reference: I heard the y were going to repave our street. This is an example of a common pronoun error: using a vague “they” when there are specific people behind the action. You may not know exactly who those people are, but you know enough to say something like the following: I heard the t ownship is going to repave our street. There are always people behind their actions, and your sentences should say so. Redundancy and Wordiness Some ACT English Test questions may ask you to identify or eliminate redundancy or unnecessary wordi- ness within sentences. Redundancy is the unnecessary repetition of ideas. Wordiness is the use of several words when a few can express the same idea more clearly and concisely. On the sentence level, in general, less is more. The fewer words you use to get your point across, the bet- ter. Unnecessary words often waste time and cloud meaning. Sentences that don’t have any words to waste are clear and have impact. Wordiness and redundancy typically result from three different causes: ■ The use of unnecessary words or phrases. Redundant: Turn left at the g reen colored house. Correct: Turn left at the g reen house. ■ Unnecessary repetition of nouns or pronouns. Redundant: R iva she couldn’t believe her ears. Correct: R iva couldn’t believe her ears. ■ The use of wordy phrases instead of adverbs. Wordy : She spoke in a v ery convincing manner. Concise: She spoke v ery convincingly. Wordy : He had a car that w as old and rusty . Concise: He had an o ld, rusty car. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 104 Practice 19 Rewrite the following sentences to correct any ambiguity, wordiness, or redundancy. 1. I returned back to my room after the meeting was over. 2. I heard they are going to put a movie theater on campus. 3. Please repeat again what you said. 4. While barbecuing our steaks, a hungry dog came into our backyard. 5. The servers they really take care of you at this restaurant. 6. The circumstances are very delicate in nature. 7. It was a story that was difficult to tell. 8. Fried in butter, Sylvan likes eggs. Answers Answers may vary slightly. Insertions are indicated in italics. 1. I returned ba ck to my room after the meeting was over. 2. I heard the y the trustees are going to put a movie theater on campus. 3. Please repeat ag ain what you said. 4. While we were barbecuing our steaks, a hungry dog came into our backyard. 5. The servers the y really take care of you at this restaurant. 6. The circumstances are very delicate in nat ure. 7. It was a difficult story that was diffi cult to tell. 8. F ried in butter, Sylvan likes eggs fried in butter. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 105  Practice Questions Directions Now you have the opportunity to pull together all that you have reviewed and apply it to 80 practice ACT Eng- lish Test questions. On the following pages, you will find eight passages with questions just like those you will see on the ACT. Read each passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. When you are taking the official ACT, make sure you carefully fill in the appropriate bubble on the answer document. Bicycles (1)Today, bicycles are so common that it’s hard to believe they haven’t always been around. (2)But two hundred years ago, , and the first bicycle, invented in Germany in 1818, was nothing like our bicycles today—it was made of wood and didn’t even have pedals. (3)Since then, however, numerous innovations and improvements in design have made the bicycle one of the most popular means of recreation and transportation around the world. (4)In 1839, Kirkpatrick dramatically improved upon the original bicycle design. (5)Macmillan’s machine had tires with iron rims to keep them from getting worn down. (6)He also used foot-operated cranks similar to pedals so his bicycle (7)It much like a modern bicycle, though, because its back wheel was substantially larger than its front wheel. (8)In 1861, the French Michaux broth- ers took the evolution of the bicycle a step further by inventing an improved crank mechanism. (9)Ten years later, James Starley, an English inventor, revolutionized bicycle design. (10) the front wheel many times larger than the back wheel, the pedals to make the bicycle more efficient, and lightened the wheels by using wire spokes. (11)Although this bicycle was much lighter and less tiring to ride, it was still clumsy, extremely top-heavy, and ridden mostly for entertainment. putting a gear on ᎏᎏ He, made ᎏᎏ hadn’t looked ᎏᎏ could be ridden at a quick pace. ᎏᎏᎏᎏ Macmillan a Scottish blacksmith ᎏᎏᎏᎏ bicycles weren’t even existing ᎏᎏᎏ – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 106 [...]... the body parts of the dead, Wells’ characters traveled through time; created half-animal, half-human creatures; made them- 118 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE – selves invisible; and having been attacked by Martians In all of his novels, Wells; like Shelley, used scienᎏᎏᎏᎏ ᎏᎏ tific possibilities to analyze and often criticize his own society War of the Worlds, for example, is a thinly disguised attack on... world’s oldest practices: the ancient art of yoga At first, I thought yoga was just another fitness fad, like step aerobics classes or Tae Bo But after my first class, I understood why yoga has lasted for thousands of years, and why so many people are completely into this ᎏ practice Yoga is different from other fitness activities because it is not only physical In the correct form , yoga is a ᎏᎏ practice of unification:... practiced, yoga poses require great concentration, and ᎏ they are surprisingly effective in stretching and strengthening muscles A simple sitting pose such as staff pose, for example, requires you to tighten and lengthen stomach, back, and arm muscles as you stretch you’re legs out in front of you and place your hands by your side More difficult poses, such as brave warᎏ 123 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE... 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... 125 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE – 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... a gateway to westward expansion 115 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE – Wilma Rudolph Wilma Rudolph was born a premature child in 1940, in Clarksville, Tennessee Weighing only four-andᎏᎏᎏ a-half pounds Wilma’s mother did her best to care for her daughter, but the Rudolphs were very poor, and the local hospital would not care for Wilma During her childhood, Wilma contracted measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken... towns, factories found a ready workforce and large consumer base for their products c Railroads took goods out of the city back to the countryside d Overcrowding was a major problem to be dealt with in the cities 20 The writer wishes to add a fifth paragraph Which of the following topics would best fit the audience and purpose of this essay? f the work conditions in the factories g child labor h the impact... stretch And the steady circulation of breath through your body both calms and energizes I am still relatively new to yoga I have only been practicing for one year I am addicted to yoga unlike any ᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏᎏ 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 belly... world After a series of asanas (poses), I feel the universal life force within 71 a b c d NO CHANGE hooked on devoted to practitioners of 72 f NO CHANGE g Done correctly h To do it correctly j OMIT the underlined portion 73 a b c d NO CHANGE that whom which 124 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE – 74 f NO CHANGE g one’s h your j these 75 a b c d NO CHANGE are only holding can only be holden can only be held... paragraphs 2 and 3 120 – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE – Sigmund Freud The father and originator of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) is largely responsible for the ᎏᎏᎏ way we understand ourselves, as creatures, with conflicting “selves” and desires Freud posited the notion ᎏᎏᎏ that the mind is teeming with “psychic energy,” and that our personality is shaped largely by the interactions of the levels . in butter. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 105  Practice Questions Directions Now you have the opportunity to pull together all that you have reviewed and apply it to 80 practice ACT Eng- lish. : He had a car that w as old and rusty . Concise: He had an o ld, rusty car. – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 1 04 Practice 19 Rewrite the following sentences to correct any ambiguity, wordiness,. existing ᎏᎏᎏ – ACT ENGLISH TEST PRACTICE– 106 (12)It wasn’t until 18 74 that the first truly modern bicycle appeared on the scene. (13) , used, and enjoyed all over the world. ( 14) the “safety