ACT English

1 ACT English Improving College Admission Test Scores Student Workbook ii 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.

2 , Box 2004, Pine Brook, NJ 07058. Instructivision, Inc., 16 Chapin Road, Pine Brook, NJ 07058 website: iii 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 iv INTRODUCTION The American College Testing Program (ACT) is a comprehensive system of data collec-tion, processing, and reporting designed to assist students in the transition from high school to college.

3 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 stan-dardized conditions.

4 The academic tests in English , mathematics, reading, and science reasoning emphasize reasoning and problem-solving 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. Conse-quently, 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.

5 The ACT assessment represents a singular intellectual challenge to high school students. A background of strong academic courses, com-bined with a worthwhile review, will enable you to meet this challenge successfully. The English Test The English Test is a 75-question, 45-minute 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 alter-native expressions is the most appropriate in conventional usage or is most consistent with the style and tone of the passage as a whole.

6 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 exam-ine 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.

7 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 diffi-culty), and range of performance. Because there is no penalty for guessing, students are encour-aged to answer every question. In many ways the test represents a work draft of an English com-position. It addresses knowledge of rhetorical devices and technical competence such as punc-tuation, grammar, and usage, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style.

8 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 insti-tutions. 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.

9 In order to perform efficiently and accu-rately throughout the examination, students must v 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 com-pleting unanswered questions or reviewing pre-vious work. How to Use the English Workbook 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.

10 The objec-tives of the program are to build self-confidence, refresh cognitive skills, identify strengths and weaknesses, and give practice in working with test questions. 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 .