ACT English
ACT English
Improving College Admission Test Scores
Student Workbook
Acknowledgments
Contributing Writers: Jeanne Clements Jay Comras Tara Kane Cosmo Lorusso Marie Haisan
Copyright 2012 Instructivision, Inc. ISBN 978-1-56749-830-1 All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be mailed to Copyright Permissions, Instructivision, Inc., P.O. Box 2004, Pine Brook, NJ 07058. Instructivision, Inc., 16 Chapin Road, Pine Brook, NJ 07058 website:
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CONTENTS
Introduction
iv
Practice Test A
1
Practice Test B
17
Practice Test C
33
Student Information Manual: Usage/Mechanics
50
Skill Builder One ? Punctuation
50
Skill Builder Two ? Grammar and Usage
61
Skill Builder Three ? Sentence Structure
69
Student Information Manual: Rhetorical Skills
85
Skill Builder Four ? Strategy
85
Skill Builder Five ? Organization
98
Skill Builder Six ? Style
114
Final Review Test
122
ACT Assessment ? Writing Test
136
Appendices
158
Appendix A ? Glossary of Idiomatic Phrases
158
Appendix B ? Glossary of Grammatical Terms
160
iii
INTRODUCTION
The American College Testing Program (ACT) is a comprehensive system of data collection, processing, and reporting designed to assist students in the transition from high school to college. Used in combination with a student's high school record, the ACT report summarizes information about each student's interests, plans, college choices, and current level of educational development. It offers useful information that can help high school counselors advise their students about suitable colleges and programs and can help colleges compare and assess student qualifications.
The ACT Assessment consists of the Student Profile Section and the ACT Interest Inventory, which students complete when they register for the Assessment, and four academic tests administered at a test center under standardized conditions. The academic tests?in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning? emphasize reasoning and problemsolving skills. The test items represent scholastic tasks required in college level work and are oriented toward the major areas of high school and college instructional programs.
ACT questions are designed to measure a wide range of abilities and knowledge. Consequently, some of the items are difficult while others are fairly easy. It is important for students not to become discouraged when they encounter questions they find difficult.
The ACT Assessment represents a singular intellectual challenge to high school students. A background of strong academic courses, combined with a worthwhile review, will enable you to meet this challenge successfully.
The English Test
The English Test is a 75-question, 45minute examination that measures understanding and use of the basic elements of standard written English. Five prose passages are given with portions underlined and numbered: for each underlined portion four choices are given.
Students are asked to judge which of four alternative expressions is the most appropriate in conventional usage or is most consistent with the style and tone of the passage as a whole. Some items may ask a question about a section of the passage or about the entire passage. In order to select the correct response, students must examine the choices, analyze different forms of expression, and determine the answer to the problem.
The five passages will focus on a variety of topics and are written in a variety of styles. Students must take into account the writing style when responding to a question. They should read the passage before responding to the questions, which reflect the kinds of problems that are encountered in high school and some college courses.
Six content areas are represented in each test (see chart, page vi). Spelling, vocabulary, and rote recall of rules of grammar are not tested. The 75 test questions reflect an appropriate balance of content and skills (low, middle, and high difficulty), and range of performance. Because there is no penalty for guessing, students are encouraged to answer every question. In many ways the test represents a work draft of an English composition. It addresses knowledge of rhetorical devices and technical competence such as punctuation, grammar, and usage, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style. In this sense it is a test of the students' understanding and use of the basic elements of effective writing.
The scale on which ACT academic test scores are reported is 1-36, with a mean of 18. The scale for each subscore is 1-18, with a mean of 9, based on a nationally representative sample of October-tested 12th grade students who plan to enter two-year or four-year postsecondary institutions. Three scores are reported to the ACT English test: a total test score based on all 75 items, a subscore in Usage/Mechanics based on 40 items, and a subscore in Rhetorical skills based on 35 items.
In order to perform efficiently and accurately throughout the examination, students must
iv
understand and apply fundamental principles of English. Spending too much time on any one item is unwise. On the average, students should spend approximately 36 seconds on each item. Any remaining time should be spent in completing unanswered questions or reviewing previous work.
How to Use the English Workbook
Student Information Manual: The Student Information Manual describes and illustrates each of the content areas in the English Test. Following each description is a skill builder review exercise.
NOTE: The answers to the practice tests and the skill builder review exercises are not found in this Student Workbook. They are included in the Teacher Manual.
The English Student Workbook consists of four practice tests, a Student Information Manual covering six essential elements of expository writing: punctuation, grammar and usage, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style, and a writing test section. The objectives of the program are to build self-confidence, refresh cognitive skills, identify strengths and weaknesses, and give practice in working with test questions.
A C T A ssessment W r iting T est
The optional Writing Test, first administered in February 2005, is a requirement for admission at many post-secondary institutions. The test will be holistically scored on a scale of 0 to 6 points: lower-level score (1-3); upperlevel score (4-6). The score for the essay will be listed separately from the ACT English Test.
Practice Tests
There are three full-length practice tests, skill builder exercises, and a "final review" test. Under actual testing conditions, students are allowed 45 minutes for the entire test. The instructions should be followed carefully. Answers should be marked on the answer sheet printed in the back of the book. The test answer sheet may be duplicated as needed to answer the questions in all three tests. The answers will be reviewed by the teacher.
Appendices
Appendix A is a glossary of idiomatic phrases. Appendix B is a glossary of grammatical terms.
Students should refer to the appendices when they encounter words, phrases, or terminology that may need clarification.
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