Reading

There are four ACT reading passages that have 10 questions each, which equals a total of 40 multiple-choice questions that each have four answer choices. There are four different passage types that are always in the same order: Prose Fiction, Social Studies, Humanities, and Natural Sciences.

READ THE QUESTIONS FIRST

This will give you some advance knowledge and help you find the important stuff in the passage. Reading all of the passage is very important, but knowing what to focus on is crucial to finding the right answers.

BECOME AN EXPERT

This is a difficult one because the passages cover four very different subjects: natural science, humanities (history and fine art), social science, and literature. One or two could be unfamiliar to you. Nevertheless, press ahead, and do not be discouraged. Just because a passage is on the life cycle of the gecko does not mean that it is too abstruse to understand. You can understand it and it is on your level; do not be intimidated.

ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE PASSAGE

You may think this contradicts my first point, but it does not. There are always context clues you can pick up in the passage. That means that while Neil Armstrong’s biography has little to do with the passage on space travel you may find a question that addresses that very thing.

ELIMINATE ONE OR TWO ANSWER CHOICES

There will always be answers to eliminate, so look for them. The answer choice that mentions Leonardo da Vinci following a question on the painting of the roof of the Sistine Chapel is not going to be right, no matter how well written. That said, before you eliminate any answer…

READ THE LINES IN THE PASSAGE MENTIONED IN THE QUESTION

You never know how well your memory will serve you, even if you read the passage mere minutes ago. You can never be sure of your answer until you know exactly what the question is referring to.

STAY SPECIFIC

Always choose the best answer choice, not the one you think sounds most intelligent. The question, “What is the author’s feeling on the future of space travel” will have a very specific answer. You must find textual evidence supporting the right answer. Never assume from context. Find the sentence in the passage that reads “I think space travel will be very common in the future.”

Are you ready to practice your reading and punctuation skills? If so, click here to test your skills!

Source: Kaplan

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