ACT Critical Reading

1. ACT Critical Reading actcriticalreading.edublogs.org

2. Reading Passages • Each passage should have 10 questions • 35 minutes to read 4 passages • Each passage is about 750 words • The passages cover • Prose fiction • Humanities • Social sciences • Natural sciences Graded as Subscore Graded as Subscore

3. Level of Difficulty • The passages start with the easiest* and progress to the hardest. • The questions for each passage start with the easiest* and progress to the hardest for each passage.

4. Prose Fiction • Form: novel excerpt or short story • You will be looking at a text that belongs to a larger whole. • Questions about: characters, motivations, setting, mood, choice of language, main ideas, inferences about the story or author’s concepts, and arranging parts

5. Humanities • Many topics may be covered (culture, the arts, literature, music, architecture, dance, or even history) • Usually, the writer is interpreting something (ex: The writer may discuss the meaning of a painting). • It will NOT say “I think” or “According to me” • It will present opinions as fact. • You MUST figure out the writer’s perspective!!

6. Social Sciences • Many topics may be covered (economics, history, political science, anthropology, sociology, and psychology) • How is it different from the Humanities? The SS passage will not have a ‘perspective.’ It will be more impersonal, detached, or scientific. • The writing will be to report observations, and then analyze patterns and trends.

7. Natural Sciences • Possible topics (astronomy, biology, botany, chemistry, geology, medicine, physics) • Issue: this passage is where you will run in to unknown words. • The test makers expect you to use context clues.

8. Read the Passage • Read ACTIVELY • Stop while reading just long enough to make sure you understand what you have read. • Underline, write notes as you read

9. Let’s Look at an example

10. Example Passage • Paragraph 1 – author gives a problem • What is the problem? • Many native Australian animals are dying off. • Often, after the intro of a problem, a possible solution will be given – Paragraph 2 • What is the solution? • One man: endangered species should be kept as pets.

11. Example Passage • What is the purpose of paragraph 3? • To explain that the views are controversial; there are two groups opposed to the idea. • What is the purpose of paragraph 4? • Give counterclaims to the groups against the idea. • What is the purpose of paragraph 5? • To explain the important NEED to agree to the pet plan.

12. Example Passage • In the last paragraph, the argument is deepened by adding a second piece: foreign species (like cats and dogs) need to be removed from Austraila.

13. Structure of the Passage • Introduce a problem • Propose a solution • State objections to the proposed solution • Refute objections • Reassert the workability of the proposed solution • Present a second layer of the proposed solution

14. #1 What is the main argument of this passage? • Native Australian animals make better pets than European pets like cats and dogs. • Native Australian animals make better pets for Australians than European pets like cats and dogs. • Adopting rare native Australian animals as house pets will ensure that these endangered species do not die out. • Cats do more harm than good in Australia. Tell me why: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AsAn59bv9gzmdEwwZldnX2gzdk5qT2pTeGw0UWNoZGc&usp=sharing

15. #2 According to the passage, all of the following factors contribute to the decline of native Australian species EXCEPT: • The proliferation of predatory cats brought over by the Europeans. • The transmission of toxoplasmosis to marsupials. • Human indifference to the fate of native species. • Destruction by pollution and urban expansion of native species' natural habitats.

16. #3 Michael Archer would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements: • Because of their smell, cat litter boxes are unpleasant to have in one's home. • The arrival of Europeans in Australia marked a serious downturn for Australian culture. • Australian animals would have done far less damage to the European environment than cats have done to the Australian landscape. • Humans are responsible for reversing the harm they have done to the environment.

17. For questions that ask you to infer: • Remove answers that ONLY state what is directly in the passage. • Remove answers that contradict the info in the passage. • Remember that the answer must still be supported by the passage.

18. Stylistic Devices • Some questions will ask about the style used to write the passage. • These may ask about anecdotes, rhetorical questions, similes, metaphors, generalizations, hyperboles, determining the meaning of a word, etc. • !!!! BE CAREFUL WHEN ASKED TO DETERMINE THE MEANING OF A WORD!!!! • Remember that words have multiple meanings. • Sometimes a familiar word is used in an unfamiliar way.

19. #4 A sugar glider is most likely: Look at paragraph 2 of the example passage. • A poisonous snake. • A small arboreal possum. • A rare marsupial the size of a cow. • A model plane.

20. Critical Reading Strategies • Pace yourself – Remember that the passages and questions get harder; allow more time for the more difficult sections. • If the last few questions of a passage are too difficult, skip to the next passage.

21. Critical Reading Strategies • READ, READ, READ • The more you read, the better – and faster – you’ll get. • A cereal box and/or Twitter doesn’t count!

22. Critical Reading Strategies • Read the passage or questions first? • It is up to you; either way has benefits. • IF you read the questions first, SKIM THEM. You don’t have much time for the test! • When reading the passage, pay special attention to the first and last sentences of each paragraph.

23. Most Important • Stay with the text. • I know it is boring; I know it isn’t fun, but read it like it is the most interesting thing you’ve ever read! • Stay focused!

24. BEWARE OF DISTRACTORS • Distractors on a test are ANSWER choices that may be true about life but NOT true about the text. • Be sure that the TEXT says it! • Ex: You read a text about pollution; it never mentioned global warming. One answer choice is “global warming has recently become a concern.” Could it be the right answer?

25. Don’t Go Too Far • Don’t read into the passage or text what is not there. Make sure the answer can be supported. • Look for the straightforward answer.

26. Explore & Practice Go through the practice ACT reading passages. Go to number2.com – you can sign up to practice and get more tips for each section.