SAT/ACT/ PSAT>> Demonstrating Comprehension The ACT Reading Test yy yy y yyy yy yy yyy yy yy yyy yyy A CLOSE COUSIN TO SAT READING COMPREHENSION, THE ACT READING TEST MEASURES ALL THE SAME SKILLS AS THE SAT, WITH A FEW VARIATIONS LC SHOWS YOU HOW TO TACKLE THE NEW TERRITORY By Sarah Montante T ILLUSTRATIONS BY TERRY COLON he ACT Reading Test is made up of different passages, each with 10 questions after it Students are given 35 minutes to complete the entire section, which makes timing a crucial aspect of scoring well on this test One of the best ways to ensure efficient use of time on test day is to memorize the directions for this section of the test Do not waste a second even glancing at the directions on test day; jump straight into the passages Every ACT includes four different kinds of passages: Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, and Science Prose Fiction passages are excerpts from novels or stories Humanities passages cover cultural topics, such as art and literature, and can be written in the first person Neither of these types of passages appears on the SAT, and they each require a slightly different approach than the straightforward Science and Social Science passages The Questions > THE QUESTIONS The ACT Reading Test gauges your ability to: Identify the main idea of a section or passage Identify details and facts Identify the author’s point of view and/or tone Draw inferences from given information Determine the meaning of words through context Make comparisons and analogies Identify cause-effect relationships Understand character development and motivation (Prose Fiction only) > > > > > > > > Unlike the SAT, the questions are not arranged in order of difficulty If you find yourself up against a tough question at the very beginning and are taking too much time to answer, skip it If you have extra time at the end of the section, you can come back > THE STRATEGY THE STRATEGY Test-prep gurus have suggested all sorts of complicated ways to approach the reading test, but a simple, commonsense approach works best Read the passage first Then, answer the questions The most popular advice for reading comprehension recommends reading the questions first It’s a bad idea You end up reading the questions twice, which wastes time It’s also confusing to digest an unfamiliar passage while simultaneously trying to hold 10 questions in your mind and look for their answers Mark the passage As you read, keep your pencil at the ready to underline significant details and facts Doing so keeps your mind alert and active while you read, so you retain more information Your marks will also act as a map for you when you refer to the passage Keep moving The time constraints on the ACT Reading Test are tight, so every second counts You will need to balance time spent reading the passage with time spent answering the questions But beware of reading too quickly— you won’t retain enough GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE information to answer the questions Literary Cavalcade APRIL 2004 27 ACT >> ACT READING TEST PRACTICE WE’VE SAID IT BEFORE AND WE’LL SAY IT AGAIN: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT TEST YOUR READING COMPREHENSION ON OUR SAMPLE PASSAGE BELOW Directions: Read the passage and then answer the questions, selecting the best answer from among those offered You will have eight minutes to complete the exercise Prose Fiction For forty-seven years they had been married How deep back the stubborn, gnarled roots of the quarrel reached, no one could say—but only now, when tending to the needs of others no longer shackled them together, the roots swelled up visible, split the earth between them, and the tearing shook even to the children, long since grown Why now, why now? wailed Hannah Lennie wrote to Clara: They’ve lived over so much together; what could possibly tear them apart? Something tangible enough Arthritic hands, and such work as he got, occasional Poverty all his life, and there was little breath left for running He could not, could not turn away from this desire: to have the troubling of responsibility, the fretting with money, over and done with; to be free, to be carefree where success was not measured by accumulation, and there was use for the vitality still in him There was a way They could sell the house, and with the money join his lodge’s Haven, cooperative for the aged Happy communal life, and was he not already an official; had he not helped organize it, raised funds, served as a trustee? But she—would not consider it “What we need all this for?” he would ask loudly, for her hearing aid was turned down and the vacuum was shrilling “Five rooms” (pushing the sofa so she could get into the corner) “furniture” (smoothing down the rug) “floors and surfaces to make work Tell me, why we need it?” And he was glad he could ask in a scream Over the dishes, coaxingly: “For once in your life, to be free, to have everything done for you, like a queen.” “I never liked queens.” “No dishes, no garbage, no towel to sop, no worry what to buy, what to eat.” “And what else would I with my empty hands? Better to eat at my own table when I want, and to cook and eat how I want.” “In the cottages they buy what you ask, and cook it how you like You are the one who always used to say: better mankind born without mouths and stomachs than always to worry for money to buy, to shop, to fix, to cook, to wash, to clean.” “How cleverly you hid that you heard I said it then because eighteen hours a day I ran And you never scraped a carrot or knew a dish towel sops Now—for you and me—who cares? A herring out of a jar is enough But when I want, and nobody to bother.” And she turned off her ear button, so she would not have to hear GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 28 APRIL 2004 Literary Cavalcade FROM TELL ME A RIDDLE BY TILLIE OLSEN COPYRIGHT © 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961 BY TILLIE OLSEN REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF RANDOM HOUSE INC The following sample is excerpted from Tillie Olsen’s short story “Tell Me a Riddle.” >> Note: The passage and questions are exactly like the ones that appear on the real ACT Practice will help you get used to the dry writing and the odd way questions are posed Practice Questions The opening paragraph suggests that the couple’s marriage is characterized primarily by: A love B animosity C sadness D poverty How many children does the couple have? A B C D at least 3 The line, “Something tangible enough” serves mainly as: A a pause in the narrative B foreshadowing C a transition sentence D a topic sentence The passage suggests that the husband’s desire to move to the Haven is at least partially motivated by: A his arthritis B wanting to relieve his wife of housework C fear of bills D his love of fishing The narrator’s point of view is that of: A a detached observer B the wife C the husband D a biased observer It can be reasonably inferred from the passage that the wife resents the husband because: A he didn’t earn enough money B his tastes are too fancy C he did not help with the work of raising children D he was unfaithful The woman’s attitude toward her house could best be characterized as: A affectionate B stubborn C proprietary D cozy The husband’s primary desire is: A to be free from work and worry B to play cards with his friends C to claim his position as a trustee of the lodge D to escape his wife and children The woman in the passage turns off her hearing aid because: A she has made up her mind B her husband is talking too loudly C she doesn’t want to hear him argue anymore D her husband has stopped talking 10 The passage implies that the outcome of this disagreement between husband and wife will lead to: A reconciliation B counseling C an intervention by their children D a separation 10 A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D Next Month: Sneak peek at the new SAT 29